Bhubaneswar: Students from 44 schools across 11 countries participated in a global debate competition organized by SAI International here on Saturday.
The online debate session was aimed at engaging children in instilling 21st century skills of communication, collaboration and critical thinking.
Keynote speaker Debanjan Chakrabarti, Director East and Northeast India, British Council, appreciated SAI International’s sprawling sports infrastructure. He spoke on the importance of debate and emphasised on speaking and writing to develop debating skills.
Nick Low, British Deputy High Commissioner, Kolkata, said: “Global problem needs global solutions and these can be addressed by deliberations and discussions as the global solutions cannot be forced, it has to come about with a coalition of each country”.
Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, Founder & Mentor SAI International Education Group emphasized on learning from inter-cultural relationships through such mega events, work towards attaining sustainable development goal together as ‘one world one family’ and promote inclusive global citizenship.
There were students from 27 schools in India, 2 from Kenya, 6 from South Africa, and one each from New Zealand, Turkey, Tanzania, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Australia and Nambia.
The topics of debate included ‘Values or Wealth? Which is more important for survival?’, ‘Is Globalization an opportunity or threat?’, ‘Impact of social media on teenagers and high school students is huge’, ‘Will robots increase people’s quality of life?’, ’People can save nature using technology?’, ’Children under 16 should not be allowed on social media sites’.
The winners were announced after three rigorous rounds of deliberations. They were judged upon content, accuracy, clarity, body language, evidence, and other factors.
