Progressive Debaters of Ghana win tertiary education championship

The Progressive Debaters Association of Ghana has won this year's Debating Championship for tertiary institutions in Africa, hosted by Ghana at the Islamic University College in Accra.

Imo State University of Nigeria placed second and also won the prize for Public Speaking.

One hundred and twenty debaters Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Lesotho, Burkina Faso, Botswana and The Gambia took part in the event, the third to be hosted.

The finalists of the eight-day event will represent the country at the 7th Pan African ??and 8th World Universities Debating Championships, to be hosted by South ??Africa and Malaysia, respectively.

“Nurturing Critical Thinking and Good Democratic Spirit among the Youth through

Competitive Debating” is the topic for the debate.

The vision of the Ghana Tertiary Debating Championship is to have a sustainable, ???educational, civic, and democratic annual event for tertiary students.

The organisers seek to provide a veritable platform for the enhancement of critical thinking, communication skills, and the creation of good democratic character amongst the youth.

It is also to empower the youth to play an active role in facilitating dialogue on the various social and political issues of their communities.

The championship is adjudged the best debating event in Africa by several ???international networks, including the Belgium Debate Council.

A communique signed by participants pledged to continue with efforts at consolidating the Ghana Tertiary Debating Championship as a democratic annual event of tertiary institutions, operating under a more transparent, all-embracing authority that would be apt to the task?of fostering debating among tertiary students in Ghana.

They also pledged to engage stakeholders in tertiary education on the urgent need to introducing debating and public speaking as academic optional course.

The Islamic University College of Ghana hosted the championship after placing first in a similar championship in Nigeria last year.