Malawi National Spelling Bee Exposes Gaps in Literature

This year’s Malawi National Spelling Bee (MNSB) initiative has exposed some challenges schools are facing in the country in the delivery of reading materials in both private and public schools.

The initiative aims at designing and promoting a supportive and positive platform in which every child has an opportunity to develop life skills to foster self-confidence and personal growth.

But both primary and secondary school learners struggled in spelling some simple words which only signifies that more effort needs to be done for learners improve in spelling, increase vocabulary, learn concepts, develop good English usage and improve the reading culture.

Chief Executive Officer and founder f Malawi National Spelling Bee, Lewis Mbaula said the organisation has inspired learners with reading skills, habits and communication skills beyond their age and class level while complimenting government efforts to unlock literacy in ensuring that every learner spells, reads and writes.

“This has helped learners build confidence in expressing complex ideas effectively, it has also encouraged them expand English vocabulary and proper pronunciation of words,” said Mbaula.

Mbaula added that MNSB reaches out to all learners in both public and private in rural and urban schools breaking the barriers of race, economical status, gender and geographical background.

A nine year old, standard 4 learner from Bloom Junior Academy, Zoya Quareshy mesmerised her parents and the audience when she managed to spell out all her six and some additional words.

“I have extra books which I read apart from the school text books I received, but I had to develop the courage first considering that the hall is filled to capacity and everyone looks at you,” said Quareshy.

A standard 7 teacher at Viyere Primary school, Orlean Wezie Kamanga appealed to organisers to send the study materials to schools on time while also conceding that there are no enough literature books in public primary schools.

“We got the study materials very late and we could not thoroughly prepare our pupils, but still this has reminded us to consider filling our book shelves with enough literature materials,” Kamanga stressed.

Last year’s Spelling Bee competition was suspended due to the global pandemic, the novel Covid-19.

Malawi Näional Soelling Bee was established in 2012, the second in the continent after Ghana but the first in the Southern Africa.