RI students participate in international debate

JAKARTA (JP): A delegation of five senior high school children left for Johannesburg on Friday to take part in the World Schools Debating Championship which opens on Sunday.

The Indonesian team will be contesting against participants from 33 other countries, debating various contentious issues such as the fate of third world debts and the calls for developed countries to open their doors to refugees.

All the debates are conducted in English.

This is the first time that Indonesia is taking part in the tournament.

The Indonesian team, selected through a nationwide contest in Jakarta in October, comprises Rusdy Malueka (SMUN 3 Pontianak), Aulia Astagina (SMUN 6 Yogyakarta), Ina Damayanti (SMU Taruna Nusantara, Magelang) Marlisa Supeno (SMUN 17 Makassar) and M. Donny Eyastha (SMUN 2 Bengkulu).

They are accompanied during the trip by a coach, a manager and a jury, all are current or past members of the English Debating Society of the University of Indonesia (UI) which pioneered the competition and tradition of debating in English in the country.

The Indonesian participation is supported by the Ministry of National Education.

The Indonesian team went through a one-month intensive training provided by UI's English Debating Society. To test their mettle, they took part in a national debate at the Bandung Institute of Technology last week, in which they performed quite well debating against people more senior to themselves.

The championship will be opened by senior South African statesman Nelson Mandela.