KUALA LUMPUR: Shafiq Akmal paused only a minute before spelling the word
"international".

As soon as his English teacher announced that the spelling was correct,
thunderous applause from his classmates filled the classroom.

"English is my favourite subject and I like discovering new words and
finding their meaning," he said.

Shafiq, a Year Five pupil from SK AU Keramat in Lembah Keramat, has
been reading up on difficult words ever since the New Straits Times
announced its Spell-It-Right (SIR) challenge.

Yesterday, the entire class participated in a mini spelling contest
organised by his English teacher, Mahainiza Abd Ghani, to identify
representatives for the nationwide spelling challenge.

The spelling challenge, jointly organised by NST and RHB Bank Berhad,
is divided into two categories -- primary and secondary -- and will be
conducted in two stages, the State Challenge and the National Challenge.
Mahainiza said her students now eagerly awaited the mini-contests and
even emulated the television commercial for the spelling challenge.
"Every time a student correctly spells a word, the whole class will
shout 'that is absolutely correct'."

According to Mahainiza, this was the first time she had heard of a
nationwide spelling challenge.

"We always have the usual contests like choral speaking or poem
recitals, so this is quite revolutionary."

The state challenge is open to 36 schools, and each school can send a
maximum of four representatives.

Nine top spellers will qualify for the state finals.
The state champion and runner-up from 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 state champions will then compete in the National Challenge which
will be held in August.

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