HYDERABAD: A large number of contestants from various public and private schools participated in the 11th Dawn in Education National Spelling Bee competition at the Sindh Museum auditorium here on Saturday.

The competition was organised by the Dawn Media Group in partnership with the US embassy, Islamabad.

About 450 contestants of around 50 schools of Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Nawabshah, Shahdadpur, Petaro, Sanghar, Thatta, Mirpurkhas, Dadu and other districts took part in the Hyderabad round of the competition which was judged by Faryal Farooque of the Oxford University Press and pronounced by Zehra Moinuddin.

The Karachi and Sindh rounds have started, while the Sukkur round will be held in Sukkur on Tuesday (Oct 6) at IBA Sukkur.

Enthusiastic students surprised judges and audience with their quick answers to difficult words some of which were: sporadic, secretariat, illusion, solicitor, profane, blatant, neurologist and citrus.

The audience including teachers, parents, guardians and class fellows of the contestants cheered them on by putting their hands together.

The contestants were divided into three groups and each group had two pools. There were three age groups including 9-11, 12-14 and 15-17.

Zeeshan Haider, a student of the Army Public School and College, Hyderabad, who appeared alone in the competition won the last pool while a group of three contestants of each school participated in all six pools.

Both the contestants and audience enjoyed daylong activities which appeared to have produced among many students in the audience an impulse to be part of the competition themselves. It was writ across their shining and bright faces which amused and pleased all.

Briefly speaking at the competition as the chief guest, Hyderabad Divisional Director of Information Khursheed Ahmed Shaikh praised the Dawn Media Group for its efforts to promote education and the English language.

He said the Dawn had always played a pivotal role in encouraging youths at grass-roots level. It was very fruitful for the young students of both Hyderabad and other areas of the interior of the province, he said.

The chief guest distributed certificates among all participants in the competition. Sixteen winners who were from six schools — Cadet College Petaro, Army Public School and College Hyderabad, The City School Jinnah Campus, Bahria Foundation College Gulistan-i-Sajjad, Government Boys High School, Makli, and Beaconhouse School System, Qasimabad — were singled out for the Karachi Regional Competition.

Published in Dawn October 4th, 2015

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