Bright Mayuri the bee’s knees
COLLOQUIAL and everyday language might be good for most, but not 9-year-old Mayuri Govender, a perfectionist who prefers things to be formal in the literary sense, but not when it comes to schooling.
But if you ask her how to spell ‘colloquial’, you’d get a winning response.
The Northern Cape girl has come out tops after competing against 27 of the country’s top spellers from between Grades 4 to 6 at the finals of the National Spelling Bee South Africa competition, also conquering words such as “bureaucracy”.
It’s just another feather in her cap.
Ever since she was a baby she has reached her milestones at a rapid pace.
At 5 months, Mayuri had already started saying her first words, by the age of 2 she was reading books meant for 5-year-olds and at age 6 the University of the Free State did diagnostic tests, declaring that she has “supreme intelligence”, said her proud mom, Anika Govender.
Finding formal school not challenging enough, Mayuri is now being homeschooled under the Accelerated Christian Education programme (ACE).
“Mayuri had just started school, and I remember that one day she came home and told me and her dad that she could not do formal schooling any more and she was bored,” said Govender.
She explained that the ACE programmed is recognised by the Department of Basic Education but requires self-study.
The work is then submitted to ACE for grading.
“Mayuri has excelled in this programme and she finds it to be more challenging.”
The talkative Mayuri said she was excited about winning the spelling bee and she attributed her success to reading.
“I only have three secrets to success and that is read, read and read,” she said.
“Reading helps you with writing skills and helps you speak more clearly and fluently.”
Her prize for winning the spelling bee was a threeyear scholarship to Manosh University in Johannesburg worth R250 000.
Mayuri, who loves reading horror, fantasy and adventure books, is currently writing a horror book and one day hopes to attain her PhD in computer sciences.