Public Sector Debate Competition Returns with $2.5 Million in Prizes

There is heightening anticipation for this year’s renewal of the public sector debate competition, for which prizes totalling $2.5 million have been announced.

The 2023 competition, which is being staged by the Transformation Implementation Unit (TIU), was launched on Friday (March 31) at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston.

A total of 20 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Government have answered the call to faceoff in nail-biting debates and spark robust conversations on issues of national and international importance.

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, who delivered the main address at the launch, said the debates also play a pivotal role in the public sector’s evolution .

“One of the real purposes behind [this competition] is to ensure that the conversation about how the public sector evolves is an inclusive one, and to show that debates matter,” he said.

The Minister noted that paternity leave for public sector workers, which was introduced in January this year, was among the topics debated in 2019 when the competition was last held, while pointing out that he is looking forward to the ideas that will emerge from this year’s staging.

“This is a fantastic exercise. What we want out of this competition is to ensure that when [teams go against teams], it is reason versus reason. We can disagree, but we can reason,” he stated

Dr. Clarke added that the competition is in keeping with the spirit of Jamaica, “because we have a worldview.”

Returning to the debate arena are 2019 finalists, the Ministry of National Security; the Jamaica Information Service (JIS); and the Victoria Jubilee Hospital.

Similarly, the Ministries of Health and Wellness; Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; Industry, Investment and Commerce; and Finance and the Public Service will, again, vie for top honours.

So too will the Jamaica Customs Agency; Water Resources Authority; Administrator General’s Department; Clarendon Parish Library; and Accountant General’s Department.

Several newcomers will also feature in this year’s competition, among them the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo); Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN); Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA); Ministry of Justice; Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ); Integrity Commission; and Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.

Executive Director of the TIU, Maria Thompson Walters, said through the competition, “we hope to build a culture of partnership and healthy competition [and] to also enhance [the] critical thinking and research skills of [the] participants.”

She said the 2019 competition’s high standard has set the pace for an exciting 2023 staging, while pointing to “the level of research and argumentation” portrayed by speakers as “a credit to the [public] sector”.

“The passion, the spirit and just the overall vibe were something to behold. We wanted to get from you, ideas about public sector transformation, and you delivered,” Ms. Walters said.

Like 2019, this year’s debates will be supported by the Jamaica Association for Debating and Empowerment (JADE), to provide training for the participants.

A social media fan favourite competition will again be held, where teams will compete for the most collective likes on the TIU’s Facebook and Instagram platforms.

The competition’s preliminary rounds will be held at the TIU’s office on Saxthorpe Avenue in Kingston, beginning April 24, while the finals are slated for the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, on June 8.

The public sector debate competition began in 2019, but was halted due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s staging will be the second time that the contest is being held.