Yesterday, the Ministry of Education’s Migrant Education Support Unit in collaboration with the National Literacy Department (NCERD) hosted the second annual Spanglish Bee at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development.
A release from the ministry said that the competition saw Grade Four migrant pupils from Regions Three, Four, Seven, Ten and Education District Georgetown participating. They were quizzed on spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension with specific focus on antonyms, synonyms, homophones, and riddles. The pupils from Region Three emerged the winners after attaining 97 points. Region Four scored 84 points and was awarded second place, and Region Ten gained 82 points and received third place. Meanwhile, Region Seven and District Georgetown received 25 and 5 points respectively. Region Ten’s Fernanda Gomez received the Best Overall award.
National Literacy Coordinator for Literacy in Schools, Donella Britton-Shamsudeen, stated that the Spanglish Bee aims to provide migrant children will equal access to educational opportunities and was designed to assess the literacy skills of the migrant pupils.
She noted that it also seeks to preserve the pupils’ first language while simultaneously showcasing their English skills.
The first-place winners of the Spanglish Bee each received an electronic tablet compliments of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration
