Winners emerge from Ibadan schools’ spelling bee contest

After hours of intense contest and excitement, winners finally emerged from the maiden edition of the spelling and pronunciation bee competition organised by BChild Education Consult for Ibadan primary and secondary school pupils.

The competition, which was participated in by 120 pupils from ten schools across Ibadan, was in two categories ─ the junior category for pupils aged 6-8 years old, and the senior category for pupils aged 9-11 years old.

Blessing Agoro, co-founder of BChild Education Consult, stated that the essence of the spelling and pronunciation bee contest is to promote language development, mental discipline, and self-confidence among participants.

Agoro further stated that, with the contest, they intended to train and motivate the pupils by strengthening their memorisation skills and ability to concentrate under pressure, helping them build public speaking skills and confidence to stand in front of an audience, and also helping them appreciate healthy competitions that foster a spirit of sportsmanship, perseverance, and goal-setting.

The BChild boss added that the competition also celebrates academic excellence by recognising and rewarding intellectual efforts and inspiring a lifelong love for language and learning.

On how the competition can impact schools and society, she said, “The spelling and pronunciation bee can impact society in many meaningful ways, directly and indirectly. It promotes educational culture, builds communication skills, and instills discipline and hard work among participants.”

Abisola Sulu, an administrator at Bchild Educational Consult, stated that they were impressed with the positive feedback from the participants, teachers and schools, adding that the contest was a memorable and inspiring experience for the pupils and their schools.

Oluwatoye Peter Oluwafemi, chief judge of the competition, said they achieved their goals for the spelling bee, which, according to him, were to instill confidence in the pupils and promote literacy.

The chief judge, while commending the BCbild for organising the competition, further said that though this year’s edition of the spelling bee was a success, next year’s edition would be better and bigger.

Victor Braokubo, the chief pronouncer of the competition while congratulating the spellers, organisers, and supporters at the event, confessed that he witnessed the remarkable dedication and linguistic prowess of the participants.

“Their composure and performance under pressure were truly commendable. The event showcased the importance of vocabulary and language skills,” he said.

Blessing Olayinka, another pronouncer, said the event was not only educative and enlightening but also fostered teamwork and collaboration among the pupils. She added that she was also impressed by the audience participation.

“As a pronouncer, it was another platform for me to help the kids build their pronunciation and public speaking skills. Witnessing the grit of the young spellers, the spelling bee is here to build capacity in them,” he said.

Some of the teachers and parents present commented on the performance and outcome of the competition.

Ms Prisca Jesuromo, a teacher at Gracefield Private School, said the events, such as this, are a platform for pupils to converge, learn from each other, build confidence, and develop public-speaking skills.

Mrs Anna Oguntayo, an administrator at Richgate Divine School, said the competition exposed the pupils to the realities of winning and losing, which will encourage them to work hard to achieve success.

At the end of the competition, for the senior category, Adeoye Olumide, from Gracefield Private School, came first, winning a cash prize of N50,000; Adeleke Dolapo, the first runner-up, from Olives International School, won N30,000; and Akingbehin Susan Ajolayo, the second runner-up, from Glorious King’s Palace Academy, won N20,000.

For the junior category, Shittu Isaac, from Solace International School, came first, winning a cash prize of N50,000; Aduragbemi Faluyi, the first runner-up, from Crypto International School, won N30,000; and Kola Ajibada Iremide, the second runner-up, from Olives International School, won N20,000.

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