Debate competitions motivate children to do their best, not just good enough. When they debate, they will be more inquisitive, research independently and learn to work with others. They will try to do more than necessary. This ability prepares children for all kinds of future situations and educates them about many issues. It is very natural for people to judge themselves against others, thus debate is quite healthy. It teaches critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving. Without these skills, countries cannot compete in the global economy.
As children are the most important resource of a nation as they are the future driving force of a country. However, despite various initiatives and laws, child rights, protection, and safety of children are still not achieved. ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) has therefore organized a debate training to make children proficient in debate and sharpen their inquisitive minds. With the support of ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) the partner organization Udayankur Seba Sangstha (USS) implemented this two-day training on 18th and 19th November 2022 in Kurigram with the participation of the Sponsored Children, Child Forum members, and Community Journalist Group (CJG) members. A total of 26 participants including 2 facilitators take part in this training. This training was conducted at the Project Office of this working area (LRP-52). The training was conducted by Mr. Shankar Sen, Lecturer, Saifur Rahman Government College.
What is debate, how to do it, how many types of debate, qualities of debate, features of debate language, how to present debate, etc. are discussed in detail on the first day. The second day is followed by a re-discussion of the first day, the practice of debating competition by forming groups among the participants and practicing strategies for presenting debate topics. Ashamoni (11), one of the participants, said, “This is the first time I have received training on debating. I have gained a lot of knowledge about debating. I didn't know how to debate, how to discuss controversial issues and how to present arguments for and against before. This training has given me the courage and it will help me in the future for debate."
