Qacha’sNek — Twelve-year-old Tebatso Nts’oane, a Grade 6 pupil at Qacha’s Nek United Primary School, has secured a place on team Lesotho, joining other young spellers who will represent the country at a regional Spelling Bee competition in Limpopo, South Africa, on September 24, 2026.

Nts’oane earned her spot on the national team after finishing third at the national Spelling Bee competitions held in Maseru earlier this month, where she received a certificate, medal and trophy.

According to ’Masekhotla Sekhotla, a teacher at United Primary School, Nts’oane first competed at district level, where three primary schools Qacha’s Nek United, St Joseph’s and Makhalong Primary Schools competed across different grades.“We won, and Nts’oane was among the seven winners who went on to represent the district in Maseru. Unfortunately, the others did not make it,” she said.

Sekhotla attributed Nts’oane’s success to her determination and confidence, noting that the competition was not her first. “I believe she was helped by her determination and confidence because this wasn’t her first time entering the competitions. She has become fearless.

She started participating in Grade 4, while fear affected the performance of some of her fellow schoolmates,” she said.
She said the school was delighted by her achievement but initially worried about how she would travel to Limpopo because the trip was not sponsored.

“After she secured the trip, we were worried about how she would get there because the trip is covered by the school. But because we wanted her to continue on this journey, as we can see that her future is bright, we did all we could to ensure that good Samaritans helped her. We managed to raise the funds, and we are thankful,” Sekhotla said.
She said the Spelling Bee is about more than competition, explaining that its main objective is to help children improve their spelling and develop the ability to write words correctly. This year marks the third time the school has participated in the competitions.

“Her performance has helped us reach partly where we want to be, although we are not fully there yet. We want our children to be able to write and speak English well. With support from parents and encouragement for children to participate, we will be happy,” she said.

However, Sekhotla identified limited parental support as one of the challenges facing the programme, saying participation requires considerable preparation and commitment.

“We sometimes see pupils with potential, but that is sometimes met with challenges from parents, with some saying their children are not coping. With the support of all parents, guardians and for them to understand this, we can reach our goal,” she said.

Her mother, ’Mateboho Nts’oane, expressed excitement over her daughter’s achievement, describing her as a hardworking child with a keen interest in her schoolwork.

“She has a keen interest in her schoolwork. At times, I even thought she doesn’t read because she does her work while watching TV. When I switch it off, she would rather close her books and go outside to play. But when it is on, she will do her work,” she said.

She said her daughter enjoys Spelling Bee, although she participates actively in other school activities as well.
“She loves her schoolwork in general because she doesn’t only participate in Spelling Bee,” she said.
Nts’oane said they have been supportive to her education, including buying her a phone after she requested one to conduct research independently and receive school-related work directly.

“I believe it also played a big role in her achievement. We do monitor the phone’s usage, though, and I think parents and guardians must support their children,” she said.

The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) Acting District Education Manager, Mapepe Rakotje, also commended Nts’oane for her performance.“I am very happy and proud of her performance. This symbolises the effort in the district despite resource challenges. Her effort exceeds the challenges,” he said.
Rakotje noted that English is predominantly spoken at school in the district, making Nts’oane’s achievement particularly notable.

He said she was “very competitive” and managed to secure a place among the top three nationally despite competing against pupils from backgrounds where English is their first language.

He appealed to schools to cooperate in activities organised by the ministry for the benefit of pupils and the district. “We have a challenge of participation by some schools. If they don’t participate, they jeopardise pupils’ potential because they are deprived of an opportunity that could change their lives for the better. If given that opportunity, they can unleash potential that most of us, including the pupils themselves, were not aware of,” he said.

The Spelling Bee Association of Lesotho (SBALE) held the 2026 National Spelling Bee Competition Finals in partnership with MoET from September 2 to September 5, 2026.