Govt touts National Spelling Bee Contest

Malawi: The government has praised this year's Malawi National Spelling Bee finals, calling it the right initiative for improving literacy among the country's students.

Deputy Minister of Education Monica Chayang'anamuno said on Saturday during the contest's finals in Blantyre that the initiative is critical because it has the potential to raise educational standards in Malawi.

"This event is important to the Ministry of Education because it promotes literacy in our students. You know, it is our desire as a government, as well as the President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, to see that learners begin reading in the early grades; from Standard 1 to Standard 4, they should be able to read. As a result, World Vision has implemented a very good initiative,” Chayang'anamuno stated.

Concurring with the deputy minister, World Vision Malawi's director of operations, Charles Chimombo stated that this year's Spelling Bee season was a significant improvement because students had mastered their craft.

Chimombo stated, "There has clearly been a significant improvement. I know that when we first started this Spelling Bee Competition, there was a lot of talk about how the learners weren't doing well, but now we see a lot of improvements, and we're happy because we can see that we're improving literacy, which is one of our goals at World Vision Malawi."

Lewis Mbaula, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Malawi National Spelling Bee, stated that this year's season has shown significant improvement over previous years. He went on to say that this is because the organisation received overwhelming support from the corporate world, which added value to the event.

This year's Spelling Bee season saw the finals of eight secondary schools and twelve primary schools. Out of the eight secondary schools, Atsikana Pa Ulendo Secondary School in Lilongwe, Zomba Urban Secondary School in Zomba, and Sir Harry Johnstone High School in Zomba produced the favourite, runner-up, and third place, respectively. They are Adela Flao in Form 4, Owen Saukira in Form 4, and Janice Dulanya in Form 3.

In the primary school category, a Grade 4 Miracle Rebecca of Diversity Academy in Chikwawa emerged as the favourite, while a Grade 4 Theonie Chapota and a Grade 7 Caleb Manthalu of Eagle's Nest Academy in Lilongwe finished second and third, respectively.

All three winners in both categories received gifts from World Vision Malawi, Victoria Forex Bureau, and Chibuku Products Limited, including medals and cash prizes. On December 9, Malawi will host this year's International Spelling Bee, in which 20 African countries will compete.

Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and other countries are among them.