18 Jun 2018

Ngamiland District recently held its Spelling Bee competitions to select winners to represent the district at the national competitions to be held in Tsabong in September.

Speaking at the event, Maun principal education officer, Mr Modiri Mosiamiemang said the competitions were bearing positive results as the region was victorious in most of them.

He said the competitions also benefited students as it enhanced their vocabulary and articulation of words.

In addition, Mr Mosiamiemang also noted that the competition involved every student, noting that in 2016 they held a Spelling Bee competition for students with disabilities and those with hearing impairment.

“These are just the testimonies of the success of the Spelling Bee competitions,” he said.

North West regional chairperson, Mr Lesego Nkgaswa praised the Spelling Bee initiative for giving students a chance to compete for international scholarships.

The Botswana Spelling Bee competitions are the brainchild of Ms Tshephang Thibedi who got inspired from watching a movie called Akeelah and the bee, which is about a young black child who won an award for spelling words correctly.

“It was in 2011 when the idea came, inspired by the American movie,” she said.

Ms Thibedi pushed the idea to start the competitions in Botswana and approached the Ministry of Basic Education who gave the idea a nod and advised her to start in the North West District.

She then started the competitions in 2012 in Maun with just 12 schools. The competition later spread to other districts and included 87 schools in 2017 which increased to 166 schools in 2018.

Ms Thibedi said some students from the North West District have secured positions to compete in the nationals in the past.

“The district competitions give them a chance to prove themselves and win a place at the nationals and to represent Botswana at the African competitions like other former winners,” she said. BOPA