iron scholars shenmo logo (6)
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About Iron Scholars

Moulding resilient thinkers of tomorrow.

We’re a small boutique enrichment centre in Aljunied with a big belief: children should build focus, confidence and resilience early, and enjoy doing it.

Students learning at Iron Scholars
Nabila Abu Talib, Centre Director
Why we started

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” – John Dewey

Iron Scholars was founded by Nabila Abu Talib, an educator with an MPhil in Education from the University of Cambridge. She started the centre so children could build important life-skills early; resilience, focus and confidence, through programmes that are proven and genuinely fun.

Today, Iron Scholars brings award-winning abacus and STEAM programmes together with primary school tuition, all under one roof.

Nabila Abu TalibFounder & Centre Director

In the news

What others are saying about Iron Scholars.

Berita Harian article on Iron Scholars, 14 May 2026
Berita Harian14 May 2026 · Gaya Hidup

“Dekak-dekak bina asas kukuh matematik, pupuk daya tahan, yakin diri”

Abacus builds a strong foundation in maths, and nurtures resilience and self-confidence.

“Pendedahan kepada dekak-dekak seawal usia empat tahun dapat membantu kanak-kanak membina asas kukuh dalam matematik, penyelesaian masalah dan keyakinan diri.”

Nabila Abu Talib, founder of Iron Scholars

“Exposure to the abacus from as early as age four can help children build a strong foundation in maths, problem-solving and self-confidence.”

Read the article
Take a tour of our centreSee our Aljunied classrooms
Featured on PodseeThe parent app’s feature on Iron Scholars

What we believe

Three things we build in every child, whatever the class.

1

Resilience

Children learn to stick with a hard sum or a robot that won’t work, and try again.

2

Focus

Abacus and hands-on building train attention that carries over to schoolwork.

3

Confidence

Small wins each week, level certificates and competitions help children believe they can.

Programmes from proven partners

We’re an official franchise of Shenmo Education and a home of Stick’Em STEAM.

Shenmo Education logo
Abacus Mental Arithmetic

Shenmo Education

1 million+ children worldwide since 1998
  • Two-hand abacus method for faster mental math
  • Clear levels, exams and certificates
  • Teachers trained and quality-checked by Shenmo Singapore HQ
  • Pathway to the International Shenmo Cup
Stick'Em STEAM logo
STEAM & Robotics

Stick’Em STEAM

12,000+ children building and coding
  • Developed by SUTD and NUS experts
  • Winner of the 2025 Hult Prize
  • Hands-on builds that grow creativity and problem-solving
  • Pathway to the Global Robotics Games

Meet our team

A small team of educators who notice the small wins, remember the struggles, and back every child.

Nabila Abu Talib

Nabila Abu Talib

Centre Director
Principal, Shenmo @ Aljunied · MPhil in Education (Cambridge) · MOE Instructor (Enrichment)
Sharifah Firdhah

Sharifah Firdhah

Abacus Instructor & Tutor
Shenmo-trained Abacus and 6F Instructor · SUSS, BSc Social Work
Chen Kang

Chen Kang (CK)

STEAM and Abacus Instructor
Stick’Em-trained STEAM Instructor · UOW, Computer Science
Mandy Yeo

Mandy Yeo

Abacus Instructor
Shenmo-trained Abacus Instructor · NTU, Linguistics and Multilingual Studies
Nur Adzfar

Nur Adzfar

STEAM Instructor
Stick’Em-trained STEAM Instructor · NUS, Computer Science
Salimah Alias

Salimah Alias

Abacus and 6F Instructor
Shenmo-trained Abacus and 6F Instructor · Government Scholar, University of Warwick · SUSS, Master of Social Work

Supported by Shenmo Education Singapore HQ

Our teachers are trained by Shenmo HQ, and our materials are quality-checked by them.

Tiffany Liew

Tiffany Liew

Abacus Trainer, Shenmo HQ
Programme Manager & Teacher · Diploma in Early Childhood Education
Grace Yang

Grace Yang

6F Brain Training Trainer, Shenmo HQ
Programme Manager & Teacher

Come and meet us at the centre.

Book a trial class, see a lesson in action, and ask us anything.