Eastern, Volta are champions in spelling bee competition

The Akosombo Corrireche International School in the Asuogyaman District in the Eastern Region, Henry House International (Upper Primary and Junior High School), both in Ho in the Volta Region, have won this year’s spelling bee competition at the grand finale held at Odumase-Krobo in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality.

Ewurabena Oye Quaye of the Akosombo Corrireche International won the Lower Primary category while Marvelous Woedem Tokpo, a Stage Five pupil and Princess Wiafe of the Ho Henry House International took the Upper Primary and the Junior High School categories respectively.

Princess Wiafe was adjudged the Best Speller for the 2020 Spelling Bee Competition, while the Best Teacher Coach went to Ms Patience Akosua Glover, also from Ho Henry House International School.

The programme, which is approved by the Ghana Education Service (GES) with a self-explanatory manual, was organised by the Global Edutainment Innovations, a non- governmental organisation (NGO) that is into education.

Intellectual levels

It is a programme designed to run the academic year with activities that will improve on the vocabulary of the students in order to build their confidence in spelling.

It is also to improve their intellectual abilities, develop self-confidence, effective communication and public speaking skills, designed to expose the participating schools to the outside world.

About 1,000 school children from the Greater Accra, Eastern, Ashanti and Volta regions took part in the event, with 50 individuals from the participating schools qualifying for the grand finale.

Level of confidence

Addressing the participants and stakeholders at the end of the grand finale at Odumase Krobo, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Global Edutainment Innovations, Mr Gabriel Awatey Djaba congratulated the participants from the preliminary stage to the grand finale on the level of confidence displayed.

He said this year’s competition was the beginning of more of such programmes to come and it was important that everybody who took part should continue in subsequent ones.

Mr Djaba said he expected them to take the spelling bee competition as an enviable competition that would generate healthy competition among them and enhance their academic performance.

“Let this competition ginger you and come back next year more prepared than this year, because this year is the beginning,” he added.

Self-confidence

“You have all displayed some form of self-confidence and readiness in the spelling bee competition even though this is the first time.

“I am pleased with the way you spelt the words, some of which you had not seen before. It is a good exercise, which, when continued, will promote effective learning and generate more of such inter-regional competitions in future,” Mr Djaba said.

Supporting

He encouraged parents to continue supporting their children to have quality education.

“Some parents are tempted to shift every burden on education to government because of the free senior high education we are currently enjoying. Share the role with government and achieve better results,” he concluded.

Understand education

A parent from the Ho Henry House International School, Mrs Mercy Exornam Agbenyeame, said the competition was good and would always challenge the participants if it would continue.

She said gone were the days that most parents did not understand what formal education could do in the life of the individual and the country as a whole, but this time round they were aware and parents would try and do their part for their children.

The overall speller, Princess Wiafe, challenged her colleagues to prepare very well for the competition next year.