Schools take part in debate c'ships

JAKARTA: The 2003 National School Debating Championships began on Friday with 32 teams from 19 provinces.

Jointly organized by the Ministry of National Education and the Association for Critical Thinking, this is the biggest competition of its kind ever held in Indonesia.

The competition will feature teams of three trying to outwit one another in parliamentary-style debates, with one team defending a motion and the other attacking it.

English will be the language of the competition. Anything goes as far as the topics are concerned, which will be chosen by the organizers.

The competition will reach its climax with the final at the Hotel Bidakara in South Jakarta on Monday evening.

Then on Wednesday, 24 of the best speakers from the event will square off once more for the right to represent Indonesia at the World Championships to be held in Peru later this year.

Minister of National Education Malik Fadjar, who met with the participants at his office on Thursday, "believes that debating and the proliferation of its values is quintessential to forming the future leaders of Indonesia", according to a statement released by the organizers.--JP