Sunyani (B/A), Aug. 5, GNA – The Ahafo project of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) in the Asutifi District has earmarked 20,000 dollars to sponsor basic schools in the Tano North and Asutifi Districts to participate in the Spelling Bee competition.

The programme which targets pupils between the ages of 8-14 years seeks to inculcate a love for reading and help improve the literacy rate in participating schools.

In 2007, Ghana became the first African country to be represented in this international contest in USA, and has since been participating in the contest.

A press statement signed by Mr Kwame Agbeko Azumah, Communications Manager of the Ahafo mine of NGGL, said the programme was jointly being implemented in Ghana by the Young Educator’s Foundation and the Ghana Education Service.

It said the three-year programme beginning from this year, would initially be piloted in 15 basic schools in the districts and subsequent implementation phases would be extended to cover more schools in the two districts.

The statement explained that the school support programmes were designed to help improve the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning in primary schools in the two districts.

Mrs Eugenia Tachie-Menson, Country Manager of Spelling Bee, told newsmen that the programme was instituted to help improve on the speaking of English language in basic schools.

She advised the GES to consider introducing spelling as a subject at the primary school educational curricula to help pupils to become more fluent in the language.

She explained that pupils who excel in the programme were given the opportunity to participate in the national competition where prizes would be awarded whilst deserving pupils would represent Ghana in the international contest in USA.

Mrs Tachie-Menson advised teachers to endeavour to make reading, writing and spellings more attractive to sustain the interest of pupils in the English language.