Atleast 40 schools and tertiary institutions took part in a captivating debating competition last week.The world over, debating competitions in schools are used as an avenue to nurture young children into future eloquent and outstanding public speakers. Debates cultivate a culture of self confidence. All schools should as a matter of policy have regular debating competitions as part of the school calendar.Besides intra-school competitions, a quick way to get students into the spirit of debating is to involve them in inter-school competitions. This could be as simple as the school head contacting the nearest school in the neighbourhood and asking whether they would be interested in a friendly debating competition.Debates also help to boost the reading culture. With the ongoing campaign to improve the reading culture in the country, debates are one of the main avenues that can help in the campaign. It is not surprising that most great speakers have a history of having been active members of debate clubs in their former schools. Debate clubs can be formed within schools, institutions of higher learning, youth clubs and community centers. Although they are usually initiated at the school level, they can also be formed in community and youth centers.Furthermore, debate clubs should be as inclusive as possible. Students of differing ages, grades, and abilities should be encouraged to participate and contribute to the club. This gives the students involved a chance to develop their social skills. The Education ministry should do routine checks to ensure that every school has an active debating club. Heads of schools without this important aspect of learning should be reprimanded.
