By Deborah Asantewaah SARFO
40 best performing spellers at the semi-finals of the National Spelling Bee – from Tema, Accra, Ho and Peduase – have qualified for the final stage of the competition.
At the semi-finals, a total of 53 spellers went through two different rounds – spelling and word meaning – to justify their inclusion as national finalists for the 19th edition of the competition.
Meanwhile, other finalists from Kumasi, Obuasi and Tamale – representing the Kumasi Semi-finals session – would join the 40 spellers to compete for bragging rights, prizes and trophy. The grand finale of the competition is slated for February 1, 2025.
The journey to the finals began with preliminaries through to the quarter and semi-finals, where spellers were offered learning resources on the rudiments of spelling and an assessment to advance to the next stage.
The Programmes Manager of the Young Educators Foundation, organisers of the competition, Salomé Dzakpasu, highlighted the contributions of the contest in shaping young people’s education and their lives at large.
“We guide the spellers through activities that benefit them not just in the classroom, but in life in general. They gain literacy skills like vocabulary development and spelling accuracy, but they also improve in public speaking. This is a holistic programme that supports the children’s growth in numerous areas,” she emphasised.
She noted that for the last 18 years, Ghana has been the only African country representing the continent on the global stage of the competition. However, from next year, the narrative will change as Nigeria prepares to participate in the contest.
Commenting on what has sustained the interest of parents and teachers in the contest, she attributed it to the unique approach taken by the competition. “Words are not just about memorising them. There is a science to how words are put together.”
A nine-year-old and finalist of the competition, Abena Atta, shared the strategy she adopted in making it through to the finals, saying: ” I just forgot about everything and focused on the judges; and when I am given the word, I made sure I tried my best”.
For his part, a parent, Ernest Gabon, said the competition prepares children to develop key skills for life, gives them exposure and enhances their ability to think.
The National Spelling Bee is run by the Young Educators Foundation, a Ghanaian charity whose vision is to improve the lives of the youth through literacy; and champion the cause of education.
