Heronbridge College learners have described the 2021 Ispahan Junior’s debate competition as an eye-opener and a great platform for aspiring debaters.
In the first weekend of school holidays, five junior debaters – Anuradha Vivekanandan, Carys Lombard, Munei Mulaudzi, Nikara Soorju and Shivania Kalimuthu – signed up to participate in a Korean-based online junior debating competition.
Following a slow start, the junior debaters won the overall competition with teams from South Africa, Czech Republic and Korea.
Shivania said the competition taught her key elements about how to structure and strategise her debate. “As a junior debater, I wanted to get as much exposure into the debating world as possible.
“Whether it be local or international competitions, I wanted to be part of something that could change the way people looked at debating.
“I felt that by entering this competition I would be able to prove that you don’t need to be a certain way to be a good debater.”
Nikara said, “The aspect of learning new things and growing as a person was an incentive. I thought it was a wonderful way to begin my debating career and also to interact with different people. I learnt a lot from this tournament.
“My eyes were opened to different people’s views and thoughts. My general knowledge also broadened a lot more when I started debating and during the tournament, I was introduced to many different topics and the pros and cons of each. I learnt so much and I am glad that I took part.”
The junior debaters were not only proud winners of international competition, but they also each received a $50 Amazon voucher (about R695).
