Posted on May, 16 2026
WWF-Pakistan’s Environmental Education programme marked 29 years of its flagship Spellathon initiative, one of the country’s longest-running school-based environmental education programmes designed to build environmental literacy through language, learning, and creative engagement.
Launched in 1997, Spellathon was developed to integrate environmental awareness into early education by using spelling and language-based learning as an entry point for understanding nature, wildlife, and conservation themes. Over nearly three decades, the programme has evolved into a nationwide education platform engaging schools across major cities including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Multan, Sialkot, Hyderabad, Gujrat, and Wah Cantt.
This year’s campaign reached more than 150,000 students across over 300 schools, making it the most extensive edition of the programme to date. Through structured classroom engagement and competitive rounds, students are introduced to environmental concepts in an accessible and interactive format, helping bridge curriculum learning with real-world ecological awareness.
The programme culminated in the National Spellathon Championship held at Ali Auditorium, Lahore, bringing together 18 of the country’s top-performing students from Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad for the national finale. Students from Grades 1 to 7 competed in a series of structured rounds designed to test vocabulary, comprehension, and cognitive agility. The finalists were selected through school-level and regional competitions held across the country as part of the year-long engagement cycle. The championship was attended by WWF-Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khan, while awards were presented by Chief Guest Mian Altaf M. Saleem, founder of Shakarganj Limited and Shakarganj Foundation, former Federal Minister, and former President of WWF-Pakistan.
Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General, WWF-Pakistan said, “Spellathon reflects our belief that environmental education must begin early and be woven into how children learn. When young people are engaged through language and curiosity, they begin to see themselves as part of the natural world they are learning about.”
“It is inspiring to see a programme that has sustained its relevance for nearly three decades. Educating young people about the environment today is an investment in the kind of leadership we will see tomorrow.” Mian Altaf M. Saleem, former Federal Minister and former President of WWF-Pakistan.
The Spellathon National Championship is hosted annually by WWF-Pakistan’s Environmental Education Department and remains a cornerstone of its broader efforts to mainstream environmental awareness within Pakistan’s education system. As the programme completes 29 years, it continues to reinforce the role of young people as active participants in shaping a more environmentally conscious future.