| Wani Roslan |
THE first ‘Great Debate Competition’ kicked off with a briefing and coaching workshop at the Sengkurong Sixth Form Centre (PTES) yesterday.
Adam Mokhtar from the Department of Co-Curriculum Education covered the format of the debate competition in the briefing and Richard Lindsay, the British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam introduced the theme for the competition.
Lindsay said, “We have chosen ‘The Commonwealth’ as the theme for this Great Debate Competition. Both the UK and Brunei are members of this family of 52 nations and with the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting being held in UK this April, this is an opportunity for students in Brunei to research, and debate its ongoing relevance.
“This competition is designed to help students to develop their debating skills – building self confidence to speak in public, forming clear arguments and understanding and engaging with others’ perspectives. This is helpful preparation for students who are looking to go overseas for their university education and I encourage any student to consider the excellent opportunities in the United Kingdom,” he added.
Following the briefing session was the coaching workshop conducted by Paul Rennie, the Deputy British High Commissioner to Malaysia.
He said, “The debating skills I picked up as a student have been one of the critical tools in my career. They gave me confidence and challenged me to think critically. It was also a reminder of the importance of seeing the other side to any argument.”
The briefing and workshop sessions involved pre-university students from Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah College (Maktab Duli); Hassanal Bolkiah Arabic Boys Secondary School (SMALHB); Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College (Maktab Sains); Sayyidina Ali Secondary School (SMSA) and PTES.
The competition aims to support the Ministry of Education’s push to cultivate an innovative and creative culture of learning; to empower, educate and provide a platform to help students to be open-minded and to develop useful communication and critical thinking skills.
The competition is part of the Asean Great Education Campaign programme activities organised by the British High Commission to Brunei Darussalam in partnership with the Department of Co-Curriculum Education at the Ministry of Education.
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