ISLAMABAD: Around 300 students competed on the first day of the 14th Dawn in Education Spelling Bee on Tuesday.

The spelling bee, which is being held at the International Islamic University Islamabad’s auditorium, is an annual competition that aims to help students improve their spelling and vocabulary and learn new concepts.

This year around 1,800 students from 163 schools will be participating in the four-day competition.

On Tuesday, children in the nine to 11 age group competed and teams from seven schools moved into the next round.

The students were from the International Grammar School Islamabad, Dr A.Q. Khan School and College in Bahria Town, Roots International Wah campus, Super Nova junior branch, Froebel’s International School Civil Line campus, Joint Staff Public School and College Chaklala and Khaldunia High School in Islamabad.

The spelling bee was attended by students, parents and teachers. Each participating student was given 40 seconds to spell a word, and allowed to ask for the word to be repeated and for its definition. They were also allowed to consult team members before spelling out the word.

Abdul Basit, a student from Siddeeq Public School, said the event helped students gain confidence.

“Victory or defeat does not matter, this platform provides a chance to learn and excel,” he said.

City Grammar School student Eman Umar, who participating in the spelling bee for the first time, said the event was exciting and enthusiastic.

“Although the contest was a little difficult for me, I enjoyed it very much. It is a good initiative,” she said, adding that it helped boost students’ confidence and improve their vocabulary.

“I learned a lot of new words to prepare for this event and even during the competition,” she said.

Fatima Abbasi, a teacher at the Roots International G-15 campus, also said the event was very helpful for students.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2018