On the 19th and 20th of September 2022, students from different faculties in the North-West University participated in the 1st Annual inter-faculty spelling bee competition.

The purpose of this event was to promote the different languages that are officially recognised in the NWU as well as to also ensure that the NWU brand also partakes in the language awareness, and to bring a chance to ensure that different faculties of the university are in one type of a competition that seeks to bring a sense of unity among the faculty and their student coordinators.

“This initiative meant a lot to us, it was an opportunity to make the Debating Union recognised and to promote one of its biggest mandates which is to promote the articulation of words. It was the steppingstone of achieving the initiative of promoting Multilingualism around campus, our goal for the future is to introduce this initiative in the whole institution where we can have the two other campuses join in, said Kgopotso Sekgobela, North-West University Debating Union- Secretary.

The North-West University Debating union, is an institutional structure, which stands for the promotion of debating and public speaking as an art. We strive to educate and equip our members with the skills of debating and public speaking, which contribute their self-development, critical thinking skills, presenting skill and academic excellence as well as to student vibrancy to student culture of the North-West University Mahikeng Campus. The results of the Union are not only benefits of its members only, but throughout the whole student populace of the North-West University.

Due to the commencement of the Assessment period, only Academic student chapters were permitted to provide support to their competition participants on the first day. The second day was the finals, and only the Finalists were permitted into the venue, which the audience had joined online.

A total of 63 participants were registered for the competition. Twenty-one were in the English competition, twenty-one in Setswana and twenty-one in Afrikaans. The program attracted interest of about 300 students as seen by the number within the audience as students came in their numbers to support their faculties.

“We as the North-West University Debating Union are proud to have pulled off this program as it has helped to lay the foundation for the upcoming one (which we aim will be at an institutional level), as we aim in making it an annual program. We believe that it benefits and contributes to our student community's development and vibrancy within the student community at large. We are more than grateful for the support of the student life department, Miss Charmaine Mahopo, who equipped and guided us to do greater, said Boitumelo Malatji, North-West University Debating Union President.

The following students from the finals made it in each language:

Setswana Competition Winner: TOUTE GOMOLEMO

English Competition Winner: ODIRILE LEGAE

Afrikaans Competition Winner: ENGRACIA MOTA

Odirlie Legae and Toute Gomolemo

Engracia Mota