| Aziz Idris |
AFTER a heated verbal sparring on economic influences and trade policies of the Commonwealth, Sayyidina Ali Secondary School (SMSA), debating as the proposition team, emerged as champions of the Great Debate Competition 2018.
The final round saw the winning team debating against Sengkurong Sixth Form Centre (PTES) at Dewan Raya, Radio Television Brunei (RTB) yesterday, which was recorded live for a special programme to be aired at a later date.
Guest of honour Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Nadia Lee Siew Hoon binti Abdullah presented the champion trophy to the competition winners was
Prior to the debate, Richard Lindsay, the British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam, pointed out the significance of the competition, which is to engage with young people studying in sixth form and to work with their schools to develop their debating skills.
“These are all essential life skills for any young person. In Brunei, they are right at the heart of Brunei Vision 2035 human development plan. So we wanted to do our bit to support that element,” he noted.
From the debating workshops and preliminary rounds leading to the finals, the high commissioner lauded the quality of the debates and said he is certain that it has already made a valuable impact on those who have participated.
The Great Debate Competition, supported by CfBT Education Services, is the first of its kind to be held in Brunei, a new milestone in the partnership between the Department of Co-Curriculum Education at the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the British High Commission in Brunei Darussalam.
The competition carries the theme ‘The Commonwealth: Towards a Common Future’, reflecting the theme of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam is expected to attend this April in the United Kingdom.
The topic for the finals was based on the motion that the ‘house’ believes the Commonwealth cannot significantly influence and set the shape and pace of global trade policy.
“It is crucial to encourage the young people in Brunei to debate the relevance of the Commonwealth,” said Lindsay, adding that students should now be able to understand more about what the Commonwealth is about, and why it is relevant to them.
‘Overall Best Speaker’ of the Great Debate Competition, Jemimah Wen-Xi Liew from the victorious SMSA team, admitted that prior to the debate, she barely knew about the roles and relevance of the Commonwealth.
“However with the continuous workshops and tutoring from experienced coaches, our team was able to compile our own research, prepare arguments and recognise the importance of the Commonwealth to all its members,” she says.
The competition officially began on February 5 with preliminary rounds being held in several sessions at PTES. Among the other participating schools were Hassanal Bolkiah Arabic Boys Secondary School (SMALHB), Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College (Maktab Sains), and Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah College (Maktab Duli).
The Great Debate Competition additionally represented a chance to celebrate the UK and Brunei’s close educational ties to produce a future generation of dynamic leaders.
The competition is part of the Asean Great Education Campaign’s programme activities, organised by the British High Commission.
It aims to support the MoE’s push to cultivate an innovative and creative culture of learning; to empower, educate and provide a platform to help students be open-minded and develop communication and critical thinking skills that can be useful in university life and future careers; as well as provide recognition to participating students who exhibit excellence in their research and communication skills.
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