East African Gazette
Uganda showcased a remarkable performance after emerging sixth out of the 38 nations that took part in the Eurasian Schools Debating Championships (ESDC) held in Istanbul, Turkey.
The competition was fiercely contested, with Greece emerging as the overall champion. Greece Blue secured the first runners-up position, followed by Italy as the second runners-up.
Other notable participants included Italy white in fourth place, Morocco in fifth place, and Uganda in sixth place, among others.
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The four students from Namilyango College who represented Uganda included John Bosco Mubiru, Anselm Amanya, Joel Ceaser Okalebo and Henry Onen Anywar
It is worth noting that Uganda, represented by Namilyango College, and Morocco were the only African countries that took part in the debating championships.
This annual tournament brings together high school-level teams from various countries to engage in English-language debates.
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Both national and school teams are eligible to compete, depending on the team cap.
The inaugural edition of the ESDC was organized by the Robert College Debate Society in Istanbul, with the participation of 50 teams from 20 different countries.
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Throughout the competition, several students showcased their exceptional debating skills. Notably, Joel Ceasor Okelebo from Namilyango College, Uganda, ranked among the top ten average speakers with 71.83 points.
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Other outstanding speakers included Manos Alevras from Greece Blue, Artemis Papastavrou from Greece Green, Leo Marinopous from Greece Blue, Marianna Argeiti from Greece Green, and Tesira Di Giovanni from Italy White.
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Max Papaioannides from Greece Blue, Alexia Sextou from Greece Blue, Giuseppe Di Massa from Italy Blue, and Kai Yuet Zhang from Greece Green also delivered impressive performances, earning their teams high scores.
Among the topics that were debated include to ban Tik Tok, prefer a world with one dominant global power, rather than several competing global powers and releasing of prisoners based on their rehabilitation status, rather than set a pre-determined length to their sentence.
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DamalieTumukunde, the founder of High School Crossfire, expressed pride in Uganda’s achievement during an interview with The East African Gazette.
She highlighted that Uganda, represented by Namilyango College, secured the sixth position out of the 38 participating nations in the ESDC competition.
The debate held at the American Robert College in Istanbul from January 20-25, 2024, revolved around the theme:”Developing young talent to be able to solve problems for future generations”.
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“Although we did not come with the triumph, our boys managed to debate with first class countries like Greece, Italy, Turkey, Denmark but we were knocked out in the quarter finals by Italy, otherwise it was a great achievement on the international scene” Tumukunde noted.
Tumukunde, who is also serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Quiz Maries, mentioned that Namilyango College took part in the ESDC due to their victory in the 2023 High School Crossfire, where they emerged as the champions.
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She explained that Namilyango College secured the awards by triumphing in a school competition debate that drew the participation of 53 schools.
Out of these 53 schools, only four made it to the finals, namely Ntare School, St Joseph Secondary School Naggalama, Kyambogo College, and Namilyango College “Namilyango College displayed super debating skills on topics such as environment degradation, financial literacy, drugs and substance misuse, and the importance of vocational training among others at the event that took place at Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala on October 2, 2023
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Since they began participating in the debates in 2014, she noted that over 500,000 students have become notable and vibrant leaders in the country.
“I would say these debating competitions have shaped students’ careers. Some are now founders of NGO’s, politicians, activists and others have returned to empower their colleagues not to lose hope in academics,” she said.
Tumukunde further noted that the High School Crossfire has been instrumental in enabling students to fulfill their aspirations, such as securing sponsors, scholarships, employment opportunities, and mentors. She commended the Ministry of Education, State House, schools, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their efforts in facilitating student participation in the competition.
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Julious Bainemugisha, the debating club patron at Namilyango College, emphasized the significance of debates in nurturing the skills of young students, enhancing their leadership and representation abilities, and contributing to their engagement in social and political spheres.
The primary objectives of the debate program is to enhance young people’s public speaking, communication, and leadership skills in these countries, as well as to gain recognition for their individuality.
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He urged parents to consistently support their children in all school activities, as this will enable them to broaden their horizons and engage with the global community.
John Bosco Mubiru, one of the participants in the ESDC, stated that although they did not achieve victory, they were able to showcase their debating skills among 38 nations and secured the sixth position.
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“We managed to reason with Italy, Turkey, Greece and others,” he noted.
Mubiru noted that the debate competition opened our eyes on how developed countries use research in planning for their nations and the world is based on problem solving.
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