Summer learning club in Qaraqosh draws 100 children for fifth year

NINEVEH — Steam Kids Club in Qaraqosh is running its summer educational programs for a fifth year, offering English, mental arithmetic and programming courses that have drawn about 100 children from Bartella and Karamlesh during the school holiday, its founder said.

Founded in 2021 at the Mar Paulos Center in Qaraqosh before becoming independent in 2022, the club offers skills courses for children over the summer break, founder and trainer Noor Matti Noah said. It accepts children aged 6 to 14 for English and mental arithmetic, with multiple levels based on age and ability, and offers programming for ages 10 to 17. Courses typically run three to four months, with students grouped by age and skill.

Noah said nearly all students begin mental arithmetic at the same level because it is not taught in schools, with differences emerging over time in problem-solving speed and comprehension. “Some students managed to reach advanced levels and participate in various competitions, achieving distinguished results,” he said. The club enters students in local and international mental arithmetic contests, including online competitions and events against participants from Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and other Iraqi governorates.

The summer program enrolls about 100 children from Bartella and Karamlesh, at a fee of 100,000 dinars (about $65) per course.