Deputy Chief Education Officer says spelling neglected

Deputy Chief Education Officer, Luis deShong fears that spelling is being neglected, and has suggested that it should be part of the daily routine of schools throughout the education system.

deShong, speaking at the finals of the 2007 Karib Cable spelling bee competition, lamented that the age of the internet has caused students to ignore the correct spelling of words, which he considers an integral part of the skills required to read and write well.{{more}}

“Words are the basic units of language,” deShong said. “We think, speak, listen, read and write in words. Spelling is fundamentally word formation.”

deShong said that students who desire to be good spellers must develop what is referred to as a spelling conscience, in other words, they must want to spell correctly.

He said that correct spelling is a courtesy to readers, and urged students to become word conscious and practice fun ways to spell words.

He also called on teachers to make a greater effort to promote proper spelling.

“Students must be actively engaged in manipulating the vocabulary strategies, pronunciation, spelling and discovery meaning. If our teachers employ phonetic strategies such as sounding out words, and making use of syllabication, which

would assist them in attacking new and unfamiliar words, they should be able to decode or decipher and spell correctly.”

Deshong also congratulated Karib Cable, CLICO, ECGC and Scotiabank for taking the initiative to sponsor the event.