From left: Rayjenni Carty (St. Dominic High), Dawud Chapman (St. Maarten Academy); Yashika Nandwani (St. Dominic High), Stefanus Waakzaam (St. Dominic High); Diandra Marlin (MPC and USM) and Imani Henry (St. Maarten Academy).
PHILIPSBURG–Six students from three high schools in St. Maarten will represent the island at the annual Leeward Islands Debating Competition (LIDC) in Nevis starting this week.
Representing St. Maarten will be Rayjenni Carty, Yashika Nandwani and Stefanus Waakzaam of St. Dominic High, Dawud Chapman and Imani Henry of St. Maarten Academy and Diandra Marlin of Milton Peters College ((MPC) and University of St. Martin (USM). The group of students will depart St. Maarten today Wednesday, February 22, for Nevis and will return on February 27. The debate starts on Thursday, February 23. They will compete against students from Anguilla, British Virgin Islands (BVI), Montserrat, St. Kitts and host Nevis.
Debates will be held nightly during the competition and the various topics that will be debated include “The high cost of youth unemployment relief programmes outweighs the benefits,” “The global rise in anti-Immigration sentiments is justified,” “Caribbean Educational Practice lag behind other regions,” “Caribbean cybercrime legislation will lead to the suppression of free speech,” “Lack of emphasis on the arts will be detrimental to human development in the Caribbean” and “The atrocity of our age is the billions of dollars spent on sports.”
On the first night St. Kitts and St. Maarten will debate the topic: The High cost of youth unemployment relief programmes outweighs the benefits.” The students have to be able to refute their opponents’ argument for five minutes max. Each debate team will consist of two speakers: A leader and a second. The leader’s presentation has to be 10 minutes and the second speaker’s seven minutes maximum.
Participants are competing for the Best Speaker’s prize for each debate; overall best speaker of the series, sub-champion and champion awards and the winners award for each topic. Only on the night prior to the debate will the students know whether they will be proposing or opposing the moot. Students are being trained by coaches Joy-Ann van Arneman and Roberto Arrindell.
The Hyacinth Richardson Educational Awareness Foundation is coordinating the local part of the event. In 2005 the foundation became a member of the LIDC society.
St. Maarten currently holds the sub-champion award.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/63841-six-to-represent-st-maarten-at-leeward-islands-debate
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