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 | The Associate Dean (Research) from the Faculty of Business and Economics, Dr Gurmeet Singh presents the Dean's trophy to Ms Chethna Ben from the winning SLMD debate team. |
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A series of debates within the schools in the Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE) at the University of the South Pacific were successfully concluded with the School of Land Management and Development (SLMD) taking out the top honours.
The 2012 FBE debate series had eight teams vying for the top spot with the best four teams making it into the playoffs to determine the champion debate team. The teams from SLMD and SAFT came out on top in the playoffs to face each other in the final on 5 October, 2012.
The SLMD team was declared the overall winner for this year’s competition. They won in the final against the School of Agriculture and Food Technology (SAFT) from the Alafua campus in Samoa.
The FBE debate series was launched last year by the Acting Dean, Dr Kesaia Seniloli. The initiative was the brainchild of the former Dean of the Faculty, Professor Biman Prasad.
The event was aimed at encouraging students to think about contemporary issues and to allow them to prepare and articulate issues publicly.
In welcoming the two debate teams, Dr Seniloli commended the students for their hard work in making it to the finals after having had to debate twice with the other teams.
She acknowledged that debating is a powerful tool for enlivening and energizing students, adding that when students engage in debates, they take an active role in their education.
Dr Seniloli explained that students have to be on their feet as they have to verbally articulate ideas while thoroughly analyzing the arguments of their opponents and making a case against them.
In addition to building their confidence, debating helps students to develop their leadership and team skills. Many traits and skills acquired from participating in a debate are underpinned in USP’s Graduate Attributes, she pointed out.
“These are attributes that we hope you as students will take with you when you leave the University,” she added.
During the final, the SLMD team argued against the notion that ‘academic performance is the best indicator of potential for success in life’ while the SAFT debaters were supporting the view that success in life was depended upon academic performance.
After hearing compelling arguments from both sides, the three judges declared the SLMD team as the winner. The winner received prize money and was awarded the Dean’s trophy.
The best debaters from the two teams were Mr Penaia Donuca and Mr Jason Titifanue from SAFT and SLMD respectively.
The judging panel consisted of FBE’s Associate Dean (Research), Dr Gurmeet Singh, Director of USP’s Development, Marketing and Communications, Mr Jaindra Karan and Dr Donasiano Ruru from the School of Education in the Faculty of Arts, Law and Education.
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