From left: Kenya National Spelling Bee (KNSB) Programme Manager Angelah Bor, Standard Group CEO Sam Shollei and Kenya Literature Bureau Managing Director Victor Lomaria at Standard Group headquarters in Nairobi. They signed a partnership deal between KNSB and Standard Group. [PHOTO: Edward Kiplimo/Standard]
More than 7,000 pupils are set to compete in this year's spelling bee to be launched next month.
The 2017 edition organised by the Kenya National Spelling Bee (KNSB) targets 50 schools in each of the 47 counties.
Standard Group is the official media partner.
Viewers will have a chance to see the contestants in a 13-episode weekly TV show to be aired on KTN between April 29 and July 22. The show will be aired during the children's show on Sundays.
"Our aim is to build a greater appreciation for the importance of spelling in the development of English language literacy among young learners in school," said KNSB Programme Manager Angela Bor.
"Our purpose under the theme 'Read to Succeed' is to promote a reading culture and to help students improve their spelling, increase vocabulary, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them in their studies," she added.
Four books published by the Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB), the official publisher and printer for the spelling bee, have already been selected for the pupils to go through in preparation for the competition.
They include The Winner and Other Stories, The Village Fool and Other Stories by Mark Mutali Chetambe, Let Her Be by Goro Kamau and Miss Uhuru 1963: Working for Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, an autobiography by Elizabeth Mumbi Madoka.
The competition targets Standard Six and Seven pupils and will take place in four stages starting from preliminary school levels.
The top three students will be picked from each level and compete with their counterparts up to the African Spelling Competition to be held in Mombasa in July. The KLB Managing Director Victor Lomaria said the programme helps to inculcate a reading culture in primary schools.
"The competition is aimed at improving the reading culture, literacy and numeracy levels in our schools," said Mr Lomaria when he visited Standard Group Chief Executive Officer Sam Shollei yesterday.
Mr Shollei emphasised the need to re-introduce the traditional reading culture, which has been eroded by changes in technology.
"We need to bring back the tradition of reading and knowing how to spell," he said.
The KNSB champion will be awarded a Sh500,000 scholarship while first and second runners-up will get Sh300,000 and Sh100,000 scholarships respectively.
