Parental Care Nursery and Primary School in Bushenyi District has been crowned national champion in the junior category of the 2026 Enjuba Spelling Bee competition, beating 59 other schools from across the country.
Namilyango Junior Boys School in Mukono District won the senior category of the competition, which featured two age groups: junior, for children aged four to 13, and senior, for participants aged 13 to 18.
Parental Care’s victory follows its success in the Ankole regional spelling bee competition held at St Mukasa Preparatory School in Sheema Municipality in July, marking another milestone for the school.
Close contest
The Bushenyi-based school faced stiff competition from Elgon View Primary School in Tororo District, but Lisa Pearl Kebirungi emerged as the overall winner, securing the national title for Parental Care.
The competition, held at Kampala Serena Hotel, attracted 263 participants from 60 schools across the country. It was the 14th edition of the Enjuba Spelling Bee.
Having participated in 10 previous editions, Parental Care drew on its experience to overcome its competitors and claim the junior crown.
The competition followed a knockout format, with participants eliminated immediately after incorrectly spelling a given word.
Learners competed in three rounds involving spelling words, filling in missing letters, and identifying and naming objects. Those who successfully completed the rounds advanced to subsequent stages.
Ministry applauds participants
Hajjat Dr Safina Mutumba, the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Early Childhood and Pre-Primary Education at the Ministry of Education and Sports, represented the Permanent Secretary, Dr Kedrace Turyagyenda, as chief guest.
Mutumba commended the participants for their courage in competing on a national stage, urging them not to regard themselves as failures when they misspell words.
She said the competition offered learners an opportunity to learn, build confidence and improve their language skills.
Mutumba also expressed admiration for the young participants’ ability to spell words that even adults might find difficult.
She urged teachers and parents to encourage children not only to spell words correctly but also to understand their meanings.
Mutumba further challenged schools to embrace digital thinking and promote early literacy among learners.
“Every child is a potential reader, writer and thinker. Our role is to provide a friendly environment where every potential is realised,” she said.
Winners to represent Uganda in Algeria
Winners in the respective categories are expected to travel to Algeria next year to compete against other spellers from across Africa.
Parental Care headteacher Desmond Tayebwa said spelling bee competitions help learners build confidence and improve their performance in examinations.
At the end of the competition, all participants received certificates, while the winners were awarded prizes, including cash cheques and laptops.
