MULTAN: More than 250 contestants from around 50 schools participated in the Multan round of the 11th DAWN In Education Spelling Bee Competition 2015 held at the Multan Arts Council auditorium on Wednesday.

Students participating in the two-day Multan Pool round belong to Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Khanewal, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalnagar, Vehari, Rajanpur and Jhang.

The event has been organised by the Dawn Media Group in partnership with the US Embassy in Islamabad.

The first day of Multan round was attended by students, parents, teachers and a large number of people from all walks of life.

Contestants have been divided into three age groups -- 9-11, 12-14 and 15-17. However on the first day, the contest was held for 9-11 and 12-14 groups and each comprised four pools. The 15-17 age group will contest on Thursday (today).

Batool Jafri was the host, while the judges included Sidrah Mazari, Uzma Khan, Dr Masroor Sibtain and Dr Adnan Tahir. Dawn moderator was Rabeea Salman.

Ahmed Wajid and Shahzaib Mukhtar of the City School Kapco Chapter, Kot Addu, Muzaffargarh district, and Abdul Raffay of Bloomfield Hall School (Middle), Bosan Road, Multan, were declared winners in the 9-11 age group.

Amna Ahmed and Noor Zahra of the Bloomfield Hall School, Pull Dot, Jampur Road, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Kashif Farid of Spring Tide English Immersion School, Jalawa Road, Bahawalnagar, were winners in the 12-14 group.

This year, approximately 1,000 of the most competitive schools from across the country are likely to participate in this contest. Three students from each group will qualify for the Lahore Regional Championship, scheduled to be held on Nov 1.

Published in Dawn, October 8th , 2015

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