More than 200 students from 23 schools and 13 universities across the Kingdom are preparing for this weekend’s semi-final stages of the National Debate Championship.
The event was most recently held in 2020, but was postponed several times due to the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic. This year’s event is the ninth edition of the popular tournament.
“Now that the pandemic has passed, we are back with the 9th National Debate Championship 2023. It is our great pleasure to once again host the tournament,” said Chheang Yuki Lisa, president of the National Debate Society Cambodia (NDSC).
She said that the debate society was the first in Cambodia. It was formed to provide passionate public speakers and debaters the opportunity to showcase their potential.
The national championship was begun in 2012, as part of the SpringBoard4Society, with a mission to support youth in Cambodia.
Yuki Lisa said the contest provides the young people with the opportunity to experience and gain fundamental skills of debating and public speaking in English. This helps them develop their self-confidence, personal development, critical thinking, and communication skills, all of which could be vital for a future career.
“It is our great honor to welcome all participants to the stage, and we cannot wait to see what they can do,” she added.
The event is open to both Cambodian and international students. There are three categories at this year’s championships: high school debating, university debating, and public speaking.
The preliminary rounds were held on February 11 and 12, with the semis taking place on February 18 and 19, said the NDSC’s Meas Sopagna.
“The venues for the final rounds will be announced as soon as possible. We are currently negotiating with several schools in Phnom Penh,” he added.
He hoped the competition would increase the confidence of Cambodia’s younger generation and showcase their knowledge on the international stage, as well as broadening their understanding of free speech.
“Debating skills nurture critical thinking and rhetorical skills. We intend to pick the best debaters and public speakers to compete on the international stage. This will further improve their ability to construct valid arguments, utilise thinking skills, and provide convincing evidence,” he said.
Sopagna explained that the competition would feature many topics, but they would all be related to social issues, such as education, the environment, politics or international relations.
The high school debates will follow the Asian parliamentary (3vs3) format, with the university entrants using the British parliamentary (2vs2vs2vs2) format. The winners of both competitions will get the chance to represent Cambodia at an international level.
Yuki Lisa said that she is eager to promote debate competitions amongst the youth of Cambodia and invited them to join the next event.
