Debating grows in schools via competition
Published:Sunday | April 19, 2015 | 12:00 AM
THE JAMAICAN Association for Debating and Empowerment (JADE) has been pioneering the introduction of British parliamentary (BP) debate in Jamaica for students at the sixth-form and tertiary levels.
Each year, these efforts culminate at the Sagicor-UTech National Debating Championships (Sagicor-UTech NDC).
The championships, held on April 2, saw more than 50 teams from more than 17 institutions face off on motions dealing with trade embargoes, democracy and the threat of ISIS.
Germaine Barrett, president of JADE and organiser of the competition, told The Gleaner that the event has grown since it was first staged in 2011.
"Through the championship, we are seeing literally an explosion in the number of institutions, the number of teams, that are competing," he said.
According to Barrett, the Sagicor-UTech NDC began out of a desire to foster greater involvement of students in issues of national importance.
"We are quite blessed to be partnering with a company like Sagicor. The competition is really helping us to advance our mandate in a way that we couldn't by ourselves. Through it, we have been able to spread the gospel of BP all over Jamaica," he said.
Alysia Moulton White, manager for promotions and public relations at Sagicor, said the competition is an important one for the company.
"Supporting initiatives that enhance and enrich education among Jamaica's bright young minds is at the core of what Sagicor believes in," she said.