Terengganu lass all set to give a tough fight
KEMAMAN: Fatma Er Zahra Abd Rashid, a Form Five student of SM Sultan Ismail 2 in Chukai, wants to create history by being the first participant from Terengganu to emerge the champion of the RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right (SIR) challenge.
Fatma is the winner of the state challenge and will be representing Terengganu in the SIR finals in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 21.
When informed that she was among the 13 finalists, her joy was evident. She endeavoured to work hard and give other challengers a hard time.
“This is the last hurdle and I’m not going to waste this chance,” said Fatma who intends to work with her friends who are fluent in English to prepare for the finals. “I will read English books to broaden my vocabulary. It is going to be tough, but I want to win for my school and state,” she said, adding that reading the New Straits Times since Form One had helped her improve her command of the English language.
“I love the difficult words and will try to memorise their spellings and meanings. I also use the words when conversing with friends and teachers.”
The SIR national challenge will be held at Nexus in Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur.
The secondary school category champion will take home RM10,000, while the primary school category winner will receive RM5,000. The top five winners in each category will receive cash prizes.
Jointly organised by the New Straits Times and RHB Banking Group as part of their corporate social responsibility exercise, SIR began in 2008 to foster English proficiency among young Malaysians and to promote the usage of newspapers as an educational tool.
In Kota Baru, Muhammad Nabil Aqil Mohd Ludin said his experience last year in SIR would be useful to face this year’s challenge.
The 14-year-old MRSM Pengkalan Chepa student, who was the winner of the state challenge, believed the knowledge he gained during last year’s competition would assist him .
This is despite the fact that he did not make it to the finals last year.
“I have been practising a lot by reading many books and the New Straits Times,” said the eldest of three siblings from Pantai Cahaya Bulan.
Nabil, whose father is an oddjob worker and mother a clerk, wants to become an accountant. By Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah and Zarina Abdullah