KUCHING – A school from Selangor took both the junior and senior titles at the 10th Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus Inter-School Debating Championship, recently.
Debaters from SMK Sri Permata also took the Best Debater In the Final Award in the two categories.
The school faced defending champion SMK Damansara Jaya in the senior final on the motion “This House would only provide development aid proportionate to the degree of compliance to global environmental policies”.
The SMK Sri Permata team of Nicholas Kang Ming Hun, Namalan Gunandran and Roshan Sivabalan emerged winner over Luc Chong Guong Sang, Kimberly Justine Tegjeu and Ryan Lim Yin Cheong of SMK Damansara Jaya who took the runner-up title.
Roshan Sivabalan was adjudged best debater in the final. He was also Overall Best Debater in the Preliminary Rounds.
Second best debater was teammate Nimalan Gunandran, Mohd Azrai Zain from SMK Batu Lintang in Kuching (third) and Anis Adina Ahlan Nasri from Kolej Tunku Khursiah in Negri Sembilan (fourth).
Sharing fifth place were Limberly Justine Tegjeu from SMK Damansara Jaya and Nicholas Kang Ming Hun from SMK Sri Permata.
The Best Speaker of English award went to SMK Batu Lintang debater Mohd Azrai Zain.
Kolej DPAH Abdillah in Kuching was named the most promising senior team.
On the motion “This House would punish animal abusers the same as if the abuses were done to another person”, defending champion SMK Sri Permata was declared winner over private school SM Sri KDU in the junior category.
Kishen Sivabalan from SMK Sri Permata, a recipient of the Best Debater in the Final Award last year, was again presented with the award.
He was also named Overall Best Debater in the Preliminary Rounds and was followed by teammates Siddharta Adaikalaraj and Daniel Sulejman Mejna as second and third best debaters, respectively.
In fourth was Lim Kai Zhi from SM Sri KDU while Ryan Yap Chen-Yen from St Joseph Private School in Kuching was fifth.
SMK Batu Lintang debater Walter Law was Best Speaker of English in the junior category.
SM Sains Kuching Utara was named the most promising junior team.
Sarawak Education Department Principal Assistant Director Datin Evelyn Ritikos presented the awards.
A total of 26 secondary schools making up 76 teams from Brunei, Indonesia, Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Sarawak, and Selangor competed in the championship which started on 2 February.
About 250 students, teachers and adjudicators, or judges, were involved in the four-day event.
Adjudicators include a senior academic from Universiti Malaya, Associate Professor Dr Chandran Somasundram, those from the Malaysian Institute of Debate and Public Speaking, and at least 10 others with vast experience in debates.