The 14th enjuba National Spelling Bee will culminate at Kampala Serena Hotel on Saturday, with 353 pupils from 12 districts competing in an expanded format featuring separate junior and senior categories.
Anticipation is building ahead of the grand finale of the 14th enjuba National Spelling Bee, with pupils who progressed through the preliminary rounds preparing to compete for the junior and senior titles at Kampala Serena Hotel on Saturday.
The competition has attracted 353 pupils from 12 districts, with organisers introducing a renewed focus on younger learners through a junior category for children aged six to eight, alongside the senior category for those aged nine to 12.
The preliminary rounds for Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono were held at Next Media Park on Friday, with participants tackling spelling and vocabulary challenges in a contest organisers say is designed to strengthen literacy and build children's confidence.
Speaking to Nile Post, William Mukisa, enjuba's chief literacy officer, said the return of the junior category was one of the major changes in this year's competition, giving younger children an opportunity to develop their reading and spelling abilities early.
“This time we are going backwards to ensure that we cover spellers between six to eight. That is basically P1 to P3. Because we know that if you’re going to make any difference in our children, you want to start right where they start from,” Mukisa said.
He said organisers hope the competition will encourage children to read more books, expand their vocabulary and improve their communication skills as they progress through school.
The contest will intensify on Saturday, when the remaining contestants face the quarter-finals and subsequent stages of the grand finale, with a champion to be crowned in each category.
Unlike previous editions that largely focused on children aged nine to 12, this year's competition features separate age categories and different rounds designed to test participants' abilities.
Junior spellers have been challenged to identify words from pictures and complete words with missing letters, alongside the spelling rounds. Senior participants also face word-meaning challenges.
The competition has adopted a one-chance rule, under which participants who misspell a word are immediately eliminated, leaving little room for error as the contest progresses.
Teachers who attended Friday's preliminary rounds said the competition provides learners with an opportunity to build confidence, acquire new vocabulary and develop skills that extend beyond the classroom.
Sadiq Magumba, a teacher at Mirembe Junior School in Namuwongo, Kampala, welcomed the picture-based challenges for younger participants, saying they demonstrate the importance of practical learning.
“I have liked the fact that in enjuba they have that part of the pictures for the juniors. This now makes us show the teachers that practical teaching is the way to go,” Magumba said.
He said such activities should encourage schools to embrace practical teaching methods and educational tours to help learners connect classroom lessons with their surroundings.
Magumba also described the competition as an opportunity to nurture future leaders by improving learners' research skills, confidence and public speaking abilities. He called on the government to support the initiative and encourage more schools to participate.
Phiona Kamugisha of Good Times Infant School in Kawaala said the competition helps children overcome fear and become more confident when speaking before audiences.
Kamugisha said her school was participating for the third time, having previously competed at Kampala district level before advancing to the national stage.
“We want to appreciate enjuba for the activity they are doing because this Spelling Bee encourages students to be confident. It promotes self-esteem, that in the future there are people who can stand before people and express themselves confidently,” she said.
Beyond the competition for the titles, organisers say the spelling bee is intended to promote a reading culture and improve children's literacy.
Enjuba, a nonprofit organisation that provides culturally relevant storybooks and supports teachers in improving reading instruction, says the competition gives learners a platform to develop their vocabulary, communication skills and confidence.
The grand finale will be held at Victoria Hall, Kampala Serena Hotel, on Saturday, October 24, with the remaining participants competing for the junior and senior championships.
The event is also part of a television production partnership between enjuba and Next Media. Organisers have said the winners and competition results will not be released until the production team confirms they can be made public.