By Thapelo
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has hailed South Africa’s six-member World Spelling Bee team after two learners finished among the world’s top 10 and the country secured fourth place at the inaugural championships in Shanghai, China.
Gwarube on Monday hosted a virtual welcoming ceremony for the learners and their parents, congratulating them on what the Department of Basic Education described as one of South Africa’s strongest performances on the international academic stage.
The team finished fourth among more than 20 participating nations, with all six learners progressing beyond the competition’s artificial intelligence-enabled preliminary assessment.
Speaking during the engagement, Gwarube said the team’s achievement demonstrated that South African learners could compete with and outperform the best in the world when given the necessary support.
“The team’s success is a powerful reminder that South African learners are capable of competing with and outperforming the best in the world when provided with the right opportunities, dedicated educators and strong foundations,” she said.
She also commended the learners’ parents for the sacrifices they had made to support their children and thanked educators, departmental officials and partners who had helped create pathways for talented learners to progress from school and provincial competitions to continental and global platforms.
Gwarube said South Africa’s fourth-place finish was further evidence that the country’s education system was producing learners capable of excelling in highly competitive international environments.
“The achievement reflects the growing impact of sustained investments in literacy, reading and foundational learning, while reinforcing the Department’s commitment to raising standards of academic excellence across the country,” she said.
ALSO READ: Grey College beats Grey High 59-26 in Bloemfontein derby
The minister said South Africa’s recent success at both the African Spelling Bee Championships and the World Spelling Bee Championships showed that the country’s learners were increasingly being recognised as world-class competitors.
The Department of Basic Education said it would continue working with its partners to strengthen and expand the National Spelling Bee Programme across all nine provinces to ensure more learners have access to opportunities that promote reading, literacy and academic excellence.
