PTCL, in collaboration with WWF-Pakistan, conducted a Spellathon for 1,000 primary school students from Mashal Model School and Pehli Kiran School, located on the outskirts of Islamabad. A total of 50 students were selected from the spelling competition and were awarded High Achievers awards.
The prize distribution ceremony was attended by Imran Sardar, GM Organizational Development PTCL and Raza Sarwar, GM Talent Acquisition PTCL, along with Rab Nawaz, Senior Director Programmes, WWF-Pakistan.
The students were recognized at school-level ceremonies, whereby gifts and certificates were distributed for their encouragement and confidence-building. They appreciated the activity and participated enthusiastically. Teachers were also present to support their students and considered this event valuable in terms of confidence building and making young minds aware of environmental conservation challenges.
Speaking on the occasion, Imran Sardar, GM Organizational Development PTCL, said, “We are proud to create learning opportunities for children from displaced communities studying at these schools. The potential and promise in these young minds are remarkable and we will continue to invest in causes that will help such children to be a part of the mainstream society.”
Expressing his views, Rab Nawaz, Senior Director Programmes, WWF-Pakistan, said, “It’s a privilege to see a Spellathon generation in Pakistan; students who participated and got to know about the environment through this campaign. With the support of PTCL, we have been able to spread the message of nature conservation amongst the students at the primary level. We hope that this knowledge will be carried forward into action once they become adults and start contributing to the society.”
Over 45 teachers were also recognized for their contribution in preparing students on the school-wide Spellathon and the chief guests commended their efforts in playing an integral part in educating young minds from less-affluent communities. Spellathon is now a nationwide spelling competition for schools, through which a series of written quizzes, promotes contemporary knowledge of the environment, amongst the youth, in a fun and exciting way.
WWF-Pakistan launched the Spellathon campaign in 1997, which is an environmentally driven educational initiative, targeting the youth of Pakistan. The objective of the campaign is to raise awareness and understanding for the need to conserve, protect and manage Pakistan’s natural resources and also improve their comprehension skills through competition. PTCL is a socially responsible organization that strives to contribute to the field of education as a primary focus area of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.