Kumon will help you beyond the classroom

Mohamed Mosam was invited to attend the National Senior Certificate Awards Recognition Ceremony held at the end of January 2020. This ceremony honoured the Johannesburg East District’s top Grade 12 Learners for 2019. At this ceremony, Mohamed was awarded Top Achiever in Mathematics for 2019 in the whole district. What an incredible achievement!

At his school’s Matric Valediction Ceremony, Mohamed received the subject awards for both Mathematics (99%) and Applied Programme Mathematics (95%) as well as a special academic award called “THE GAUSS AWARD” which is awarded to the student exhibiting the greatest talent and interest in Mathematics.

Mohamed attended the Emmarentia/Greenside Kumon Centre with Instructor, Diane Schaffrath, throughout his whole Kumon career. In the Kumon world, Mohamed is a student that is referred to as a ‘double completer’. Mohamed completed the Kumon Maths Programme in August 2019 – the same year he wrote matric. He also completed the Kumon English Programme in 2017. Being a double completer is an amazing achievement. Mohamed says that he is proud to have completed the programmes ‘the old-fashioned way’ – working diligently with pencil through all the paper-based worksheets.

From an early age, Mohamed would spend hours solving different types of puzzles. His parents soon realised that Mohamed had a natural talent and ability for both Mathematics and problem solving. They also realised that they needed to do more to challenge him and to fuel his passion for the subject.  Mohamed’s Kumon journey started in Grade 1 when his parents heard about the Kumon Programme from a cousin whose children were doing Kumon.  They discovered that Kumon was not only designed to help those that needed additional assistance with the subject, but that it is also great for those students who need more challenging work and who continue to learn at a more rapid pace than what is being taught at school.

In primary school, Mohamed was consistently the top learner for Mathematics, receiving the Subject Award for Maths each year. He also participated in a number of external non-school Mathematic events, including various Olympiads as well the World Maths Competition.  In high school, Mohamed continued to excel in both Mathematics as well as Applied Programme Mathematics. In Grade 10, he came 1st in the Quintile 4 learners division in the National Maths Olympiad. At the end of Grade 11, Mohamed was awarded his full academic colours and the honours blazer. He was also the only student at his school to receive a special award for achieving 100% in Mathematics for two years running. This was the first time that the school had awarded a special commemorative gift at an academic assembly. 

In 2019, during his Matric year, Mohamed took part in and achieved the following: SCIFEST Africa (team was placed 3rd nationally); MINQUIZ (the Gauteng Team came 1st, winning the coveted cup, and Mohamed was also awarded a Certificate of Distinction; WITS Maths Competition [WMC] (placed 7th in the top 10 senior learners category); SA Provincial Maths Olympiad & SA Maths Team Competition (team placed 2nd in Gauteng and 6th overall in South Africa). 

Mohamed believes that being a Kumon student instilled discipline and perseverance in him, and assisted him to become an independent learner. Kumon has helped him with all his other studies as well – not just Maths and English. The problem solving skills from the Maths Programme assisted him with his other subjects, and the English Programme broadened his general knowledge and analytical skills; skills which he was able to apply to his other studies.

Mohamed was introduced to Calculus at Kumon before doing it at school, and it intrigued him; he really enjoyed this part of the Maths Programme. He does admit that having to do Kumon on all his holidays wasn’t always enjoyable. His advice to other Kumon students is to stick with the programme, and to do the work. It is worth the effort, and Kumon will help you beyond the classroom.

Mohamed is really passionate about soccer, and supports Liverpool. He has a love for all sorts of puzzles - both Maths puzzles and others. Since nursery school he has had a very strong interest to explore space and astronomy. Mohamed also loves travelling and learning about other cultures.

His parents believe that Kumon has provided Mohamed with life skills such as time management, analytical ability, perseverance, determination and independence. As parents, they gently guided Mohamed and were always available if Mohamed needed assistance, but Mohamed has always been a dedicated self-learner and did not need major parent involvement in his Kumon studies.

Mohamed’s parents advise that there will always be days in the Kumon journey when your child will not feel like doing Kumon, and sometimes, you as a parent may feel like it’s a burden. Do not let this make you quit! The Kumon journey will have its ups and downs, but with the right approach, you and your child(ren) will find that the programme is really worth it, and that the value you get from the programme is not purely academic. There WILL come a time in your child’s Kumon journey where he or she will see the benefits of Kumon for themselves. When that self-realisation is evident, then you will know that the main objective has been achieved.

Having always had an interest in both Mathematics and the Sciences, Mohamed is currently doing his first year BSc (Physics) degree, and he is excited about furthering his studies in the Sciences. He is still exploring various fields in terms of career choice and area of specialisation, but he is likely to pursue a career in research.  Working towards understanding the universe with all its mysteries is what inspires Mohamed most.

His parents believe that with perseverance and dedication, Mohamed has achieved much more than what he had sought out to do. They are so proud of their son, and they hope that Mohamed's passion continues with the next chapter in his journey.  We are also very proud of you Mohamed, and we look forward to the many mysteries of the universe that you will bring clarity to in the years to come.