The Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) Primary Schools Schools Debating League • The National Debating League

The National Debating League presents...

2024 Junior Pan-African Debating Championship

The National Debating League runs structured debate programs for over 100 schools across South Africa and Mozambique. Join us for the 'Junior' edition of our Pan-African Debating Championship. Entry is open to students in Grades 4 to 7 from schools anywhere in Africa.

📅 Dates: Starts at 12:00pm on 11 October 2024 and ends at 6:00pm on 13 October 2024.
🗺️ Venue: Curro Century City Primary School in Cape Town, South Africa
🔑 Entry Criteria: Grades 4 to 7 or age 10 to 14; teams must be accompanied by an educator.
📋 Registration: Contact thishin@ndl.org.za to register.

Program Overview

Here is a brief overview of the program. A more detailed explanation can be found in the information booklet.

Optional Accommodation Packages

We are able to arrange accomodation for participants at the StayEasy hotel in Century City. This hotel is a short walk from the hosting school.

Green cardstock box containing white, beige, and brown cards.

Competitive Debates

We will have 5 rounds of competitive debates and several elimination rounds. Students will need to be familiar with the World School Style of debate. Two of our motions have already been released.

Green cardstock box open with 50 cards inside.

Sightseeing

We are able to arrange an optional sightseeing package for participants.

Detail of white today card, beige next card, and brown someday card with dot grid.

Awards and Recognition

A series of elimination rounds will determine our winners in each age division. Top performing teams and individuals may receive trophies and medals.

Stack of three green cardstock boxes with 3 hole cutouts showing cards inside.

Pre-released Motion #1:

Schools should make community service compulsory

Suggested Readings:

Find Meaning and Happiness through Volunteering: George Tavola has worked with volunteers around the world for over 20 years. In his TEDx talk, George reveals how volunteering can give your life meaning and purpose, open up opportunities for social connection and personal growth, as well as boost your levels of health, happiness and fulfilment.
Umuganda: The word Umuganda can be translated as ‘coming together in common purpose to achieve an outcome’. In traditional Rwandan culture, members of the community would call upon their family, friends and neighbors to help them complete a difficult task.
Volunteering can have a negative impact on employment, study finds: Volunteering doesn’t necessarily help young people get jobs, and in some cases it can have a negative impact on employment, new research by UCL Institute of Education (IOE) finds.

Pre-released Motion #2:

Students with wealthy parents should not be allowed to win scholarships

Suggested Readings:

Should rich kids be ineligible for college scholarships?: Hip-hop mogul Diddy is worth $500 million, and his son just landed a full-ride, merit-based scholarship to UCLA. Where's the justice?
Wealthy parents giving up guardianship of their kids to qualify for financial aid, report says: ProPublica said it found dozens of parents exploiting a legal loophole to save money on their children's tuition at the expense of low-income students
I was a poor kid at a wealthy private school. It gave me social mobility...: Scholarships at private schools might be highly sought after, but they cause otherwise progressive people to support institutions that maintain structural inequality in society

Pre-released Motion #3:

All school lessons should be taught in English

Suggested Readings:

Why mother language-based education is essential: Research shows that education in the mother tongue is a key factor for inclusion and quality learning, and it also improves learning outcomes and academic performance. This is crucial, especially in primary school to avoid knowledge gaps and increase the speed of learning and comprehension.
For the third time in 11 years, Rwanda changed the language used in primary schools: In December, Rwanda’s government announced that all Rwandan primary schools should teach in English, a language many teachers in the country cannot understand or speak. This is the third time in 11 years that the government has introduced a major language shift.
I was a poor kid at a wealthy private school. It gave me social mobility...: Scholarships at private schools might be highly sought after, but they cause otherwise progressive people to support institutions that maintain structural inequality in society

Pre-released Motion #4:

We should ban the advertising of fast food

Suggested Readings:

Corporate fast-food advertising targeting children in South Africa: The health implications of children’s increasing consumption of fast foods have been a subject of growing national and global concern. This chapter explains why critically examining corporate fast-food advertising to children is equally important.
Fast food brands turning to radio advertising: Fast food brands are primarily spending on radio advertising, according to new research.
The more money you make, the more fast food you eat: A new CDC brief suggests it’s not people below the poverty line doing the buying — it’s people well above it.
McDonald’s hopes to create 24,000 jobs with UK and Ireland expansion: McDonald’s is to open more than 200 restaurants across the UK and Ireland over the next four years, creating about 24,000 new jobs as it steps up expansion amid a rise in demand for takeaways.
Fast food can be fine ... in moderation: Fast foods are definitely not the healthiest choice, but there are ways you can adapt your fast food consumption to be healthier.