Morung Express News
Kohima | September 28
Altogether 41 participants from 21 schools in Nagaland will be competing in the much awaited 6th Nagaland Spelling Bee Championship 2017 which began on September 28 at Capital Convention Centre, Kohima. The two day championship event is a much awaited event for students in Nagaland.
“Every year the excitement level increases,” said pronouncer Mechuni Whiso Iralu during the inaugural of the Championship which was graced by Rajesh Soundararajan (IAS), Deputy Commissioner, Kohima. Organised under the theme ‘The Learning Edge’, this year’s Championship aims to address the expected level of students from Classes 7-10.
“This championship which is a yearly event had become a much awaited and prestigious competition proving to be very fulfilling for those students who possesses a bent of mind for competition and a thirst for learning new things,” said Kezhalenuo Kesiezie, Additional Director, SCERT, Nagaland.
The Spelling Bee Championship began in 2012 with a common vision and concern for the students’ community which intends to convert the platform into launching pad for higher learning for the students’ community in a highly competitive world. The objectives of the Championship is to help student to improve their spellings, improve vocabularies, learn new concepts, develop correct English usage, develop team spirit and skills, instill confidence and improve personalities, sharpen the young minds, provide opportunity for students to meet and to create new challenges for higher learning.
Considering that the Championship is a rare opportunity not available to everyone, Kohima DC, Rajesh Soundararajan expressed hope to see students in Nagaland participate in the National and International level. “Our students in Nagaland have a better command of English than the students from the other States,” remarked the Kohima DC while stressing on the importance of language which is “almost like the evolution of mankind itself.”
“It is your duty not to distort a language in the first place by distorting the spelling. That is where the importance of spellings comes. And this is just an opportunity to ourselves to reaffirm the importance of language,” said Rajesh Soundararajan adding that spellings also helps in one’s overall performance in academics.
Soundararajan was also critical of the sms lingo used by youngsters today stating that the distortion of language is becoming systematic and unknowingly it is affecting all of us. Further encouraging the participants to strive for excellence and aim for national and international levels, Soundararajan remarked, “Nobody is lesser than anybody.”
In the preliminary round, eight words were given to each participant to spell where 60 sec was allotted to each word.
The pronouncers for this year’s Championship are Adila Longkumer, Mechuni Whiso, Ela Susan James and Vimesao Terhase while the judges are Daniel Thong, N.C Kikon, Agnes Krocha Tepa and Amongla.
