GES Urged To Give Prominence To Spelling Bee In Schools

The Country Director of an Accra based NGO, Young Educators Foundation, Eugenia Tachie-Menson has appealed to the Ghana Education Service to give prominence to spelling and pronunciation in the study of English as a subject in school. According to her, most students even after graduation find it very difficult to express themselves fluently in the English language. Madam Tachie-Menson made the appeal at the Volta Regional finals of the Spelling Bee Competition of Basic Schools in Ho. n attendance were stakeholders in education including retired educationists, traditional rulers, Heads of schools, teachers and students. The competition which is the 3nd edition in the region targets children between the ages of 8 and 13. It is aimed at inculcating in children of school going age the habit of reading. The Country Director of an Accra based NGO, Young Educators Foundation, Eugenia Tachie-Menson said she thought the spelling Bee is an extracurricular activity, the concept helps to groom students to be fluent and have control over the English language. She expressed worry about the poor performance of students in examinations and attributed the failure to lack of adequate reading and understanding of the English language. Mrs. Tachie-Menson noted that most students feel lazy to read but spend much time on the phone, television and the internet. According to her, stage fright is a problem in most students and called on teachers to introduce reading and debating clubs in their various schools to help address the problem. She advised parents and teachers to inculcate in children the habit of reading and good pronunciation. The Portfolio Advisor of the MTN Ghana Foundation, Abdullahi Hussein Yahya noted that education plays a vital role in national development. He therefore called for pragmatic steps to ensure that all children of school going age are in school. Mr. Yahya said MTN Ghana Foundation has offered much support in the area of health, education and technological issues as it forms part of its corporate social responsibility to the country. He commended the Young Educators for bringing Spelling Bee to the Volta region and commended the participants for their courage to learn and explore. Out of the 52 participants from the various schools, 5 were selected to represent the Volta region at the National level in Accra.