Thumbs up to the IDebate Rwanda Team

Editor, I would like to commend the IDebate Rwanda team for conducting the inter-school debate competitions that have been going on since the beginning of this year. The team comprises young enthusiastic ladies and gentlemen whose activities clearly show that they have Rwanda at heart.Their ideas, organisational skills, communication skills and team spirit are incredible.As an English language teacher, I would like to acknowledge that IDebate has done a lot in developing the skill of public speaking among many young people in this country. Debate is one of the activities that English Language teachers use to enhance the speaking skills of the learners. Through debate, the young people develop confidence, self esteem and fluency in the use of English language. By conducting inter-school debate competitions, IDebate helps the participants to learn how to speak in public.Moreover, the team conducts training workshops for the participants before the competitions are conducted. This helps the participants to know the debate etiquette and it improves on the quality of debate. It is always an exciting moment for me to witness young people articulate issues of socio-economic development with confidence as if they are members of parliament. The young fellows from the various schools engage in serious rebuttals during the debate that make the whole event very exciting. Good debaters are good listeners and this is clearly portrayed in the way the young people keep refuting each other’s points with vigour that sends shock waves all over the place. I believe this is one way through which the youth can be empowered. IDebate gives them topical issues for the debate and the patrons of debate clubs in schools guide and inspire the participants to do research in preparation for the competition. When the competition begins, you hear voices of young fellows roaring as they present their arguments, each side trying to water down the arguments and points of the opponents. Many of the participants give their points off head which implies that they do adequate research. This is wonderful because the participants are able to develop the reading skill as they look out for facts and statistics for presentation in the competition.When participants from several schools converge at the venue of the debate competition, they socialise, share and have meaningful fun which breaks the monotony of attending lessons. By the time they resume lessons, their minds are fresh and they are eager to learn.IDebate helps the participants know the direction the country is taking in terms of socio-economic development. For instance, the adoption of the topic which states that: ‘Rwanda should move to a middle income country by 2020’ has enabled the young people to debate on issues pertaining to the vision of Rwanda. They have been able to know the various stakeholders of vision 2020 and the role that each stakeholder is expected to play in order to achieve the vision. This has deepened their understanding of policy matters that bring about national development.The idea of awarding the best debaters is also a move in the right direction because it stimulates competition among the participants and they are motivated to always prepare adequately in order to attain the accolades. When the contributions of the young people are recognised, they participate in the debate with enthusiasm and they are able to develop a sense of direction.The organisations that sponsor the activities of IDebate should be commended for creating a platform for the young people to discuss topical issues. The young fellows are able to acquire life skills that transform their lives for the good of the society. Bravo IDebate.The writer is a teacher at Riviera High School