Yes, debating skills key to self-confidence

TANZANIA: DEVELOPING strong debating skills at a tender age is among the top factors that help to instill a self-confidence spirit among young people which is vital when it comes to excelling in life.

If you are an adult now and busy working hard to provide bread and butter on your table, you remember very well how debate used to unfold during your schooling days.

There was a common topic in debate that required participants to argue whether it is better to have money or education which brought out very interesting points, so if you did not come across this topic at school, then you are missing something.

When debating this topic, each side came up with a long list of points to support their motion, with those supporting the motion claiming that money is better than education because you can hardly be educated without having money.

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They also argued that one goes to school for the main purpose of acquiring education that will latter provide him or her a chance to secure a perfect job to earn lucrative renumeration. On the other hand, the opposing part also developed their strong points to elaborate on the importance of school over money, saying education helps people to manage their money well, among others.

Here, judges usually found it hard to decide who should be declared the winner, considering that each group came up with relevant points to support their motions. All these combined simply make the debate colourful, creating a platform for students to express themselves through solid arguments and facts, which is a crucial skill to adapt in life.

Being able to stand in front of people and express your ideas confidently is simply one step towards success, bearing the fact that with confidence, one can easily achieve big things unlike a person who lacks it.

For those who were actively participating in school debates they can confidently tick the box to acknowledge the fact that it has helped them to be where they are as they are because they are not afraid to voice their opinion.

After realizing the importance of nurturing debating skills from grassroot level, the Dar es Salaam Independent School (DIS) jumped into action, and now they expect to deploy 30 students for the World Scholars Cup 2024 set in Sweden next month.

According to DIS teacher Joy Mukono who briefed the Daily News recently in Dar es Salaam concerning the trip, she said it is a platform that sees scholars drawn from different countries competing in different debating subjects.

“The various topics that are put forward for people to debate on span around arts, sports, films, writing, mathematics and many others, not forgetting current affairs issues. “This program was established by Americans and is conducted through English language…it is done in Regional and World stages, and for our East African region, we have agents situated in Nairobi, Kenya while here in Tanzania, they use Feza Schools as their center.

“Our school has been regularly competing in this program and this year, we are honored to send a group of students to Sweden to take part in numerous debating subjects that will be lined up for the competition,” she said.

According to her, a school that needs to compete in the World Scholars Cup just needs to be registered through the available website by filling all the required information, including the number of students that will take part who are divided in different categories.

“In all the competing stages, awards are given to those who perform well in every round they engage in, and each debate team is made up of three students only, so you can see how tough it becomes.

“After debating, they are also involved in writing assignments…so you can see that it is a complete package that helps to boost learners by equipping them with the required skills to sharpen their lives. “

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Currently, the traveling group of students is undergoing thorough drills to prepare for the Sweden mission which includes doing debates, collaborative writing as well as team building. “

By doing these, they are putting themselves at a good place where they can easily stamp the demanded success and bring home different awards if they manage to shine,” she said.

Meanwhile, one of DIS students, Petra Ngemera shared some tips that necessitated her to win seven trophies after being picked as top debater in the juniors’ category of the previous competition.

She said the tips include working hard, study as much as you can, self-confidence, believe in oneself, team cooperation, have a mentor and supporting school.

“I applied these tips to win one trophy and seven medals, which are Debate Champions Gold Medal, Team Bowl Gold Medal, Writing Champions Silver Medal, Team Debate 3rd Place Trophy, Cria Scholars 2nd Place Gold Medal, Champion Scholars Gold Medal and Global Qualifier Gold Medal,” she said.

Indeed, whenever you put enough effort on the task that you want to be fully implemented, you simply succeed to achieve it and this is what successful people always cherish.

For other students across the country who tend to run away from debates organized at their schools, time is now to reverse such negative mindset and instead, be willing to participate.