Ntando Vilakazi has proven she is the cream of the spelling crop by winning the 2015 Nedbank Spell It Challenge in Sandton. Vilakazi was the only finalist to be able to correctly spell the word, handkerchief, in the last round.
The 10-year-old Grade 5 pupil from Luyolo Primary School in Emdeni South, Soweto, beat 25 finalists, winning a R200 000 scholarship from Monash University and a R1 000 cash prize.
“I am over the moon!” said Vilakazi’s mother, Zandile, who explained that her daughter has always had a love of reading.
“She loves going to the library and doesn’t fall asleep at night without reading a book,” said Zandile.
The Spell It Challenge is a regional competition run by Nedbank in conjunction with Spell It South Africa, the Gauteng Department of Education and Monash University. This competition acknowledges the importance of literacy for the future leaders of this country.
Lindiwe Temba, Nedbank divisional executive for corporate social responsibility said, “Literacy forms part of an important pillar in the bank’s education corporate social responsibility strategy. Spelling aids in reading – allowing one to discover the wonders of the world through words. It assists in shaping confidence and in building a knowledge-based economy. As such, we believe that literacy building can be a catalyst for sustainable socio-economic transformation in communities that we serve.”
Nedbank also provides spelling coaches to schools in the Gauteng province, ensuring that pupils are given an opportunity to achieve a good level of English literacy before graduating to high school.
“Our children want to learn and they need to be given the opportunity to excel in learning – that is what our partnership is about,” said Spell It Challenge founder, Roger Dickinson.
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