KUALA LUMPUR: It has been only three days since the New Straits Times
announced its spelling challenge but the telephones at Balai Berita have
been ringing with non-stop requests from teachers for entry forms.

The Spell-It-Right (SIR) challenge is jointly organised by NST and RHB
Bank Berhad. It is divided into two categories - primary schools and
secondary schools - and will be conducted in two stages - the State
Challenge and the National Challenge.

Within minutes of reading the announcement of the launching of SIR,
English teachers like Grace Phua from Sekolah Kebangsaan Convent Bukit
Nanas were already calling the NST to register students for the State
Challenge.

"I read that the forms will be available from March 1 and that the
State Challenge for Kuala Lumpur is to be held between April and June.
But I still called to ask whether our school could be registered before
that," she said.

According to Phua, her students were groomed for spelling competitions,
which were held annually at both primary and secondary levels.
"Several students also brought the newspaper cutting of the
announcement to tell me about it."

Phua, who runs an after-school spelling clinic for students, said some
of the Year Two students in her school could even take on the Year Six
students.

The State Challenge is open to 36 schools. Each school can send a
maximum of four representatives.

Nine top spellers will qualify for the state finals.

The state champion and runner-up in the primary school category will
bag RM1,000 and RM800 respectively while the second runner-up goes home
with RM500. The top three schools will also win the same amount.

The state champion and runner-up in the secondary school category will
win RM2,000 and RM1,500 respectively, while the second runner-up will get
RM1,000. The top three schools will receive the same amount.

The 14 state champions will then compete in the National Challenge
which is to be held here in August. The top three prizes are RM3,000,
RM2,000 and RM1,000, with the same amount going to the top schools.

For further information on SIR, look out for entry forms in the NST
from March 1.