8,000 schools in UK to add Chinese math system

The Chinese "mastery approach" to math teaching is set to roll out in more than 8,000 primary schools in the United Kingdom, with funding of up to 41 million pounds ($54.3 million), to bring pupils up to par with their Asian counterparts.

Children as young as 5 will be required to practice sums and exercises, and they must master each concept before moving on to more difficult material.

The move comes after international tests showed that Shanghai students ranked on top for math in the Program for International Student Assessment in 2012, and 15-year-olds in China are three years ahead of their English counterparts in their ability to solve math problems.