Klement Choi Man-ian is still hooked on maths.
A Form One pupil, he has been getting extra training in the subject for seven years, and instead of feeling burnt out, he couldn't be more into it.
'I like the subject very much, I find it challenging and I feel a sense of satisfaction in mastering every problem that comes my way,' Klement says.
He has achieved top scores and was a Maths Olympiad team member in primary school. Now at Level L at the Kumon Centre, where he takes supplementary classes, he has learned the basics of logarithms and calculus, normally reserved for Form Five pupils.
With the competitive education environment in Hong Kong, children such as Klement are no strangers to tutorial centres providing various kinds of after-school support. Options abound, especially in maths. Kumon is among the best-known here, with more than 40,000 students enrolled in its 150 centres city-wide. When the time comes for his weekly drills, Klement goes to the Kumon Centre in Causeway Bay, where a well-structured atmosphere prevails in his classroom. Tables are neatly arranged in rows, and the 'silence' sign can be seen everywhere. He enters and goes to a teaching assistant in one corner to collect the folder containing a record book of his progress and his worksheets for the day.
With its roots in Japan, a country known for its strict discipline and order, Kumon provides an environment conducive to focused learning, though the centre touts it as independent learning.
