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NUBOOGH HASSAN

GRADE 10G1

Since the beginning, it has been Al Waha International School’s custom to host the Annual
English Debate. The purpose of this admirable activity is to encourage the art of speak-
ing, the skills of deliberating in a parliamentary setting and bringing forth the talent of

persuasion. Al Waha’s motive is to reach beyond academics and such activities are a true
reflection of interactive and enjoyable learning.
For the Annual English Debate 2019-2020, twelve finalists emerged after a fierce victory
against their peers to speak on the motion given. Here are the obstacles these finalists com-
bated before emerging for the final round:

Round 1: This was conducted on Wednesday, 23rd October 2019. All students across
Grades 8 to 12 participated in this initial round where they were assigned a topic that dif-
fered for each grade level and the students had full liberty to choose between the proposi-
tion or opposition perspective for the motion.

Then, the students delivered a speech for ninety seconds to their respective English teach-
ers. Ten of the highest scorers across each grade level qualified for an arduous semi-final.
Round 2: The semi-final was conducted on Tuesday, 29th October 2019. These shortlisted
contestants battled against each other to gain a spot for the final round. Two topics were

given to the semi-finalists and they were required to prepare for both of these topics. The
speakers had the freedom to choose whether they support the notion or oppose it. On the
day of this challenging round, the contestants chose their topic via a random draw and
they delivered their speeches within the time limit of two minutes. Next, they were provid-

ed one minute to plan out their response for a critical thinking question posed to them by
the judges and then give an answer that lasted the duration of a minute.
Finally, the day of the last round had arrived: Sunday, 10th November 2019. The twelve fi-
nalists were equally divided into the proposition and opposition teams. At Al-Waha, the
motion for the debate is selected by making sure it has an ethical or moral value to portray

and it delivers an element fruitful to society. With that being said, the topic for this