St Andrew’s School team took second place

 

|     Rokiah Mahmud     |

DESPITE putting up a good fight, St Andrew’s School secured second place, losing the championship of the 43rd National Malay Language Debate Competition for Secondary Schools and Colleges to the team from Berakas Secondary School.

The finals for the debate competition were held at Awang Semaun Secondary School yesterday and organised by the AKLI Unit, Department of Co-Curriculum Education at the Ministry of Education.

Present as guest of honour was Pengiran Haji Rosli bin Pengiran Haji Halus, Director of Administration and Services at the Ministry of Education.

In his speech, Awang Semaun Secondary School Acting Principal Haji Jafri bin Haji Suhaili explained the competition serves as a platform to encourage students to develop their debating skills, allowing them to produce constructive arguments in supporting their given motion.

It also aimed to boost students’ confidence in deliberating their points in front of an audience.

Thirty-one schools and colleges nationwide participated in the competition. With four against one point, Berakas Secondary School emerged as champions, while St Andrew’s School came in second.

Institut Tahfiz Al-Quran Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and Pengiran Jaya Negara Pengiran Haji Abu Bakar Secondary School were tied in third place.

The 43rd National Malay Debate Competition saw the Berakas Secondary School team elaborating their argument, defending their facts and reasons in the debate entitled ‘Sistem Pengangkutan Awam Perlu Ditingkatkan Setaraf Dengan Negara Luar’ (Public transportation needs to be on par with other countries), where the team was in the opposition side of the motion.

Jesy Lasari, second speaker for the proposition from St Andrew’s School, who was also awarded as ‘Best Debater’ in the final, pointed out why the country needs to upgrade its public transportation system, explaining how it affects air pollution if more cars were on the road.

She also elaborated that it could ease traffic congestion and at the same time make it easier for tourist movement in the country.

The second speaker from the opposition team countered the motion, explaining that by building more facilities and constructing more roads in order to provide access such as a railway, mass rapid transit (MRT) or others, more forests would need to be chopped down, thereby promoting deforestation.