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Chevening Alumni holds successful spelling bee and debate competition

Chevening Alumni holds successful spelling bee and debate competition

Martti Ahtisaari Primary School learner, Simon Kambonde showed impeccable grit throughout the Chevening Alumni Spelling Bee and Debate Competition, on 18 February and took home the spelling bee cup at the Katutura Youth Sports Complex.

The Chevening Alumni Network of Namibia (CANN) confirmed in a statement on 19 February that the Spelling Bee Competition was held for Grade 4 to 7 learners and the gold medallist that dominated the Grade 4 category was Laika Mbongo representing Eros Primary School and the Grade 5 gold medallist and the overall winner was Simon Kambonde.

“In the grade 6 category, Mbangoje Kahorongo from Theo Katjimune Primary School took the gold medal,” they added.

They further said that the debate competition highlighted the intellect and elegance of the participants and after a rigorous debate round, through which various debate motions were tabled, such as ‘Namibia will achieve gender equality by 2023’.

“In the end, Concordia College Namibia Team 2 placed third, followed by Eldorado Secondary School Team 1 who placed second and taking home the 2023 Chevening Alumni Debate Cup was Eldorado Secondary School Team 2 who dominated the debate competition,” they emphasised.

City of Windhoek Mayor, His Worship, Joseph Uapingene who attended the competition said it is very important for community members to come together to champion education. He further commended the Chevening Alumni Network of Namibia team for ensuring that they took the opportunity granted to them through the Chevening Scholarship and ploughing back the knowledge gained back into the Namibian economy.

Deputy Minister of Education, Arts, and Culture, Faustina Namutenya Caley encouraged the 190 participating students and their parents to dream big and harness the potential that education holds for their future.

“I am immensely proud of the team of teachers who helped the students prepare for both the spelling and debate competition,” she added.

British High Commissioner to Namibia, Charles Moore highlighted the importance of the English language and how it brings people together internationally.

He encouraged the students in attendance to use the spelling bee as the base of building their future, as they too one day can stand as recipients of the Chevening Scholarship.

The competition was organised by the Chevening Alumni Network of Namibia in partnership with the Basketball Artists School. The competition aimed to create a platform to champion education and intellectual development among local young people.


 

About The Author

Mandisa Rasmeni

Mandisa Rasmeni has worked as reporter at the Economist for the past five years, first on the entertainment beat but now focussing more on community, social and health reporting. She is a born writer and she believes education is the greatest equalizer. She received her degree in Journalism at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in June 2021. . She is the epitome of perseverance, having started as the newspaper's receptionist in 2013.