The Ekurhuleni South District celebrated International Literacy Day on September 9 with a spelling bee and word raffle competition for Freeway Park Primary’s grades Four and Five learners.
Several primary schools within the district participated, including Freeway Park, Kwanele and Zimele, participated, among others.
Duduzile Sidu, the acting district curriculum and education specialist for the intermediate phase, said the Grade Fours participated in the spelling bee and the Grade Fives in the word raffle.
“To prepare for the competition, the district provided a list of relevant words tailored to each grade level, which teachers used to select and train their learners.
“This year, due to time constraints, the selection process began at the circuit level, with one learner chosen from each of the five circuits in the district to represent their peers in the final event.”
Sidu added that despite the district having 154 primary public schools, participation this year was notably lower compared with previous years.
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She stressed the importance of these initiatives, stating, “We are also based on the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), and have many words for each grade that a learner should be exposed to by year-end.
“This promotes vocabulary development and good reading skills.”
Bethuel Malebe, a district representative, emphasised the need for improved literacy rates, saying a 2021 report from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study revealed that 81% of Grade Four learners struggled with reading comprehension.
Lungile Nyudu, a teacher at Izibuko Primary School, shared insights on the preparation process, stating, “For them to prepare the learners, they gave them a list of words to practice.”
She noted the challenges faced because many learners struggled with spelling and reading but expressed optimism that these competitions would encourage learners to improve their skills.
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