Syria: The qualifying rounds for the programming marathon for children and youth 2025 have begun
Today, the qualifying rounds for the programming marathon for children and youth for the 2025 season have begun, organized by the "Excellence and Creativity Authority" in partnership with the "Lifelong Learning Center" at the Syrian Virtual University, where 842 students from various provinces have applied to take the test.
The test was conducted in access centers of the virtual university spread across the provinces, in consecutive batches each lasting one hour and fifteen minutes, and included questions aimed at assessing the programming and logical skills of the participants, as a precursor for the successful candidates to move on to the final qualifying rounds scheduled for next October.
Regarding the goals of the marathon, Ms. Dania Qabbani, Director of the Syrian Scientific Olympiad at the Excellence and Creativity Authority, explained that: "The programming marathon aims to raise the general scientific level and enhance logical analysis skills among children and youth, by teaching them scripting languages (C++) and graphical languages (scratch), and it provides participants with a real opportunity to explore their abilities, develop self-improvement spirit, and enhance analytical thinking in an educational environment that encourages innovation and excellence."
Qabbani pointed out that the age group of children ranges from 8 to 11 years (from the second to the fifth grade), while the youth group ranges from 12 to 15 years (from the sixth to the eighth grade).
Several participating students expressed their feelings about this experience. Student Marita Habib Ali saw that "the competitions provide an enjoyable opportunity to learn in a way different from traditional curricula, as they combine challenge, fun, and collaboration in a stimulating environment."
For his part, student Ali Munther Abdullah stated that "his goal in participating is not limited to winning alone, but also includes boosting his self-confidence, developing his programming skills, and connecting with other students who share the same passion for technology," expressing his desire to "continue learning programming languages in the future and participate in larger competitions."
It is noteworthy that this marathon comes as a culmination of a previous stage, where more than 1700 students participated in the placement tests conducted last June, including 913 students from the children category (8-11 years) and 881 students from the youth category (12-15 years).
The programming marathon for children and youth represents a comprehensive educational environment that opens participants' horizons to concepts of technological development, enhances logical thinking skills, and designs programming solutions in a simplified and practical manner that suits their age characteristics.
