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Glenys (second left) with Michelle and Rachael, from her left, pose with their trophies. With the girls are Dennis (left) and Lau.
KUCHING (July 3): The St Joseph’s Private School and Kolej Yayasan Saad Melaka were recently crowned as the respective champions of the Senior and Junior categories, at the 19th Swinburne Sarawak Inter-School Debating Championship (SSIDC).
The tournament gathered total of 222 students from 26 schools participated, and took place at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus here.
SSIDC is one of the largest English debating tournaments for secondary schools in the country.
Apart from schools here, students came from as far as Maktab Rendah Sains Mara Betong in Betong, SMK Lake in Bau, SMK Lawas in Limbang Division as well as Kolej Tun Datu Tuanku Haji Bujang and SMK Lutong in Miri, along with other states, namely Chung Ling Private High School from Penang, Foon Yew High School from Johor, Kolej Yayasan Saad from Melaka and Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School from Sabah.
In the Senior category, St Joseph’s Private School was represented by Form 3 student Glenys Wong and her senior teammates Michelle Ting and Rachael Chai, who triumphed over SM Lodge with a 7-2 split decision.
The topic was ‘This House supports AI romantic relationships.’
“I’m still in disbelief as I didn’t think I would ever win.
“This is my second time at SSIDC and I’d tell everyone to give it a shot. You may fail or get embarrassed, but at the end of the day, you’ll learn to love it,” said Glenys.
Michelle, named the ‘Best Debater’ in the final, remarked: “Words can’t describe how grateful I am to have finally taken the champion title for this tournament. It is indeed something I’ve been dreaming of achieving since I was in Form 1.
“I feel incredibly proud of my team for working so hard. All the hours we spent practising and researching have definitely paid off.”
In the Junior category, Kolej Yayasan Saad Melaka defeated Kolej Datu Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah, marking the second consecutive year that the school has won the title.
The team of Badrul Ariff Badrul Akmal, Jood Ammar Sazzli Shahlan and Zara Aleesya Abdul Haizal, debated against Kolej Datu Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah on the motion, ‘This House would forgive all debts of individuals who have legally retired’.
Trophies were also awarded to the ‘Most Improved Team’ in the Senior and Junior categories, won by SMK Batu Lintang and St Joseph’s International School, respectively; the ‘Most Promising Team’ in the Senior and Junior categories, won by Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School and Borneo International School, respectively; and the ‘Best Sarawakian Team’ in the Senior and Junior categories, won by SM Lodge and Chung Hua Middle School No 1, respectively.
The trophies were presented by Sarawak Education Department Co-Curriculum Unit Student Development Section assistant director Dennis Nur Amin Abdullah as well as Swinburne Sarawak pro vice-chancellor and chief executive officer Prof Lau Hieng Ho.
In addition to these annual awards, platinum sponsor Sarawak Eco Warriors awarded the ‘Best Team in the Environment Round’ to St Joseph’s Private School in the senior category, and Kolej Yayasan Saad Melaka in the junior category.
Sarawak Eco Warriors founding president and Swinburne alumnus Mark Liao, commented: “While youth are often hailed as the leaders of tomorrow, they are also among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
“Preparing them to tackle these challenges is crucial and this championship fosters critical thinking on a wide range of topics and issues.”
Other sponsors for this year’s tournament were Hock Seng Lee as well as long-time sponsors the English Language Centre and John’s Pie.
The tournament, endorsed by the Ministry of Education and now in its 19th year, is a mainstay of the secondary schools’ English debating calendar.
English (US) ·