Winners emerge at the 15th Spelling Bee competition

Twelve-year-old Primary Six pupil, Tijani Boluwatife of Araromi Primary School, Orile Agege, and Sonoiki Idowu of Ikotun Senior High School, Ikotun, have emerged winners in the primary and secondary categories of the 2015 edition of the Spelling Bee competition for public primary and secondary schools in Lagos State. Organised by the Office of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State Ministry of Education, the competition is aimed at developing the innate skills of the students in the state, creating good reading habits and helping them improve their spelling skills, increase their vocabulary and develop correct English usage.

Pointing out that the overall goals of the competition are to help students improve their spelling skills, increase their vocabulary, create good reading habits that would lead to better academic performance, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, said these goals are being met as evident in the performance of the students in external examinations.

Thanking the teachers for a job well done, the Director-General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Mrs. Ronke Soyombo, said the competition has, over the years, helped boost the students’ confidence, create a healthy rivalry among the students and draw out their intellectual capabilities.

Words like marathon, hooligan, monarchy, jamboree, suppressant, acappella, ballerina, chimpanzee, boycott, bandanna, Mississippi, aisle, cudgel, largesse, barracuda, jacuzzi, abbreviation, ascension, acquaintance, hullabaloo and cocoon eliminated some contestants.

The winner in the primary category went home withN150,000 while the first and second runners-up went home with N100,000 and N75,000 respectively. In the secondary category, the winner won N250,000 and an iPad from Etisalat, while the first and second runners-up, carted home N150,000 and N100,000 respectively.