Students graduate during a graduation day.
BY SAM ALFAN.
A survey conducted by Oxford University Press East Africa Research shows Kenyans score highly on spelling and prioritizes dictionaries.
The findings released today show exceptionally strong spelling scores from Kenyan students and high levels of dictionary ownership.
Oxford published the results as Kenyan students fly to South Africa to compete in the first ever African Spelling Bee final and shortly after the launch of the 9th edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (OALD).
The research conducted in May this year saw 363 secondary school students around Kenya complete a standard spelling test. The words were taken from the Oxford 3000 – a list of the most commonly used words for English learners.
The survey also found that 36 per cent of the form 2 students had a access to a smartphone, 12 per cent to a computer, and another 13 per cent to both a smartphone and a computer, meaning that almost two-thirds of public sector students now have access to technology as part of their learning.
Mr John Mwazemba, General Manager of Oxford University Press East Africa said that it is a testament to Kenyans’ commitment to education to see four-fifths of school students reporting that they have a dictionarye at home, and scoring A grades.
