Pakistan Spelling Bee Opens 2024 Registrations, Launches Anthem
04 May 2024
LAHORE: The second edition of the Pakistan Spelling Bee (PSB) will be held from August to November 2024, for both English and Urdu languages. The event is organized by the education company Storykit. After last year’s successful inaugural event in which over 6,500 students from 215 schools and 38 cities participated, the 2024 PSB event will see regional championships held in nine cities: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Gilgit, Multan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala.
The national championship will be held in Islamabad over two days at the end of November and early December. Cash prizes worth 1.4 million will be given out to the National Championship winners.
Registrations are open to schools nationwide, and can be made online at pakistanspellingbee.com or by mail. The Early Bird discount is available to schools until 31 May.
For 2024, the Pakistan Spelling Bee has released its anthem, written by Michelle Farooqi. Another feature of the 2024 program is the newly launched PSB Student Ambassador Program open to primary, middle and secondary school students nationwide. These students will represent Pakistan Spelling Bee in their schools and communities. During the regional championships, 27 cash prizes of PKR 25,000 each will be given out to the top performing student ambassadors who meet the program criteria.
Musharraf Ali Farooqi, the co-Founder and CEO of Storykit, said that inclusivity has been their aim from the conception of the project, and it has been achieved through the Urdu Spelling Bee platform, successful outreach to public schools, and programs like the PSB Student Ambassador Program which involve the larger community.
Storykit has previously conducted large-scale field projects in education with and for local and international organizations, including UNESCO, Google, Google Foundation, and others. The LUMS School of Education will conduct the impact study of Pakistan Spelling Bee. Oxford University Press Pakistan is the project’s outreach partner. The Pakistan Spelling Bee Board of Advisors includes noted educationists.
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The Pakistan Spelling Bee Anthem
Finally, the day has come
My friends, for you and me,
All summer long we’ve memorized,
And waited patiently.
With clothes sharp-pressed,
And shoes all shined,
We’re spiffy as can be.
And with eager steps we make our way,
To the spelling bee,
To the Pakistan Spelling Bee!
All the new words we have learned
To get with the spelling bee,
Will open doors to stories and songs
They’re keys of possibility.
So let’s all go to the spelling bee,
To the Pakistan Spelling Bee!
We sound out words in syllables
And know the etymology
Of the funniest words we’ve ever heard
And can spell them perfectly.
So let’s all go to the spelling bee,
To the Pakistan Spelling Bee!
When we are grown, and on our way
We’ll look back on today,
And remember word lists hundreds long,
And the pesky rule ‘Say-SPELL-Say’.
So join your team in this jolly march
For we’re making history,
And let’s all go the spelling bee
To the Pakistan Spelling Bee!
Copyright © Michelle Farooqi 2024