A pupil in the fourth year of primary school wins the final of a spelling competition in Kinshasa

Kinshasa, May 24^th, 2026 (CPA). –The final of the second edition of a French-language spelling competition organised for primary school pupils in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has been won on Saturday by a pupil in 4 year primary school at Saint Alphonse School in Matete, in the centre of the Congolese capital. Out of the 105 candidates who have participated in this competition, five pupils have reached the final of our spelling competition for schools in Kinshasa. It was Tshibola, a Year 4 pupil, who has won the competition after answering all the questions correctly,” has declared Leonard Makombo, a member of the competition’s judging panel. “For her achievement, the winner has been rewarded and encouraged by the school, which has given her a prize of 500 US dollars,” he has maintained. This spelling competition is an initiative by the school’s administrator, Father Gaston Mazunga, aiming to enable pupils to improve not only their elocution but also their command of spelling during their school career. “The competition went on for three weeks. The first week has involved introducing the contestants and getting to know them. The second week has been devoted to the qualifying rounds, and today we have played the final with five pupils,” he has explained. For Makombo, this inter-school competition for pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 enables children to become more familiar with words and the use of a dictionary, not only to memorise them but also to understand their deeper meaning. “We are convinced that pupils will participate even more in this exercise in future editions, as it helps to improve their written expression as well as their essay-writing skills,” he has explained. For his part, Father Gaston Mazunga, administrator of the Saint Alphonse school complex, has expressed his satisfaction with the smooth running of the competition right through to its conclusion. “We thank the members of the jury and the organising committee of this competition. We give thanks to the Lord for having accompanied us from the start right up to this day of the final. The spelling competition is an important exercise that enables children to master spelling, to better understand words, to decipher them correctly and to pronounce them clearly,” he has concluded. CPA/