Young Educators Foundation, an NGO, has announced that Nigeria and Ghana will represent Africa at the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee, that will be hosted in the U.S. in 2025.
Mrs Eugenia Tachie-Menson, Chief Executive Officer of the
foundation, disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
Tachie-Menson said that the spelling competition that tested
students’ competence in spelling and vocabulary prowess had seen Ghana
representing the continent for about two decades.
She said that the foundation in collaboration with Lucid
Education Initiative, Nigeria, facilitated for Nigeria to join the
representation.
“This collaboration aims to ignite a passion for spelling
and literacy among Nigerian youths.
“The Scripps National Spelling Bee is more than a contest;
it is a celebration of discipline, word mastery and academic excellence.
“Beyond giving Nigerian students and schools a global
spotlight, it will boost cognitive skills, critical thinking, and mental
agility in young learners.
“It will also spark curiosity and a lifelong love for
language and learning.’’
According to her, the foundation is already working on a
selection process of students to compete at the national level for the global
representation.
The chief executive officer added that they had begun the
selection from some private schools and later to public schools.
“The champion of this yet-to-be-unveiled spelling contest
will earn a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in
May 2025,” she said.
On his part, Mr Afolajimi Akinyoyenu, Chief Executive
Officer, Lucid Education Initiative, said that Nigeria’s participation in the
competition would highlight the importance of literacy and spelling education
among young students.
“This programme offers a platform for Nigerian youths to
showcase their literacy prowess on a global stage.
“It will change the tired and erroneous narrative that the
African child only hungers for food,” he said.
The 2024 edition had no fewer than 245 national competitors
from schools across the U.S., in Europe, Ghana, Canada and others.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a thrilling mental
challenge, with spellers having just 75 seconds to ask questions and 90 seconds
to spell each word. NAN
0 comments:
Post a Comment