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WORRIED: Ntsako Mkhabela is a playwright and director of Miyela. PHOTO: VELI NHLAPO

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Through Miyela, a group of graduates who assist high school pupils as tutors, they decided to start a spelling competition - Spelling Bee SA.

Ntsako Mkhabela, director of Miyela, said the group was worried when the Annual National Assessment results came out last year.

Last year's Annual National Assessment shows that Grade 3 numeracy rates have declined from 35% to 28% and literacy rates have declined from 36% to 35%.

That means only one in three children in Grade 3 can read at the level required at that age.

"We thought it was a crisis. We wondered what would happen to matriculants seven or eight years from now. They would not be able to read adequately and that would lead to problems for education and the workforce. It would be a disaster if nothing gets done," Mkhabela said.

"We thought that we could do something other than tutoring them and making them sit in another class.

"The Spelling Bee will be fun and their parents can also be involved in helping them with preparations."

The Spelling Bee is open to children aged between nine and 14 and applications close on April 30.

Mkhabela said: "The first round of the competition will be in July and then we will have provincial levels.

"We have talked to the people who run the American Bee and people from Nigeria and Ghana and they said our preparations were on track.

"We now have about 100 children that have signed up and we hope to have 400. In 2013, we will have the first national Spelling Bee."

Parents who are interested in entering their children in the competition can call 082-588-0190 or e-mail spellingbeesa@gmail.com

Comments

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Wed Jun 19 13:00:22 SAST 2013 ::

Apr 11, 2012

LoveHome

This is a great initiative inspiring way of empowering the little ones of this world! #Love&Development!
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Apr 11, 2012

Tabza325is

Hahaha give them something written in one of those social language format like your twit or BBM lingo and see how well they can read that.
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Apr 11, 2012

RobinH

I think it is an exce llent id ea. Hardly novel, as Spelling Bees have been a regular feature of US school life for deca des already, so I'm actually surprised that the idea has not crop ped up until now, but anything to motiv ate children to read actual real words in books.
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Apr 11, 2012

Shredder

Kick his butt Akeelah. B. U. T. T butt. Good initiative. These kids can't even write proper English because of mixit and SMS nxa!!
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Apr 11, 2012

Rica-licious

If you watch Akeelah and the Bee then you'll love spelling. Great idea indeed.
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Apr 11, 2012

MsKinkyakaKamaSutra

Start with our politicians
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Apr 11, 2012

SOLANKA

@ Rica-licious
If you watch Akeelah and the Bee then you'll love spelling. Great idea indeed.

They tuk it frm thr,no ways.......but it is a gud one thnx UK
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Apr 11, 2012

iPhone4

But we do have programes like Kumon why is not promoted? My son is doing that and is already above school grade. Kumon is for Maths and English.
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Apr 12, 2012

Tsope'

@iPhone4

They just want to Americanise Kumon. Next time suggest Kumon officials to speak in an American accent. These guys have been duped by the american media fed by DSTV, thanks a lot Multi Choice.
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Apr 12, 2012

Tsope'

666
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