Students To Participate In NCMC Debate Finals On Friday

Teams of students from high schools across the island will engage in spirited discussion about online learning when they participate in the finals of the National Child Month Committee (NCMC) Debate Competition on Friday, November 26.

The debate is the penultimate activity on the NCMC’s 2021 calendar of events.

It will take place at the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ), 10-16 East Street, Kingston, starting at 10:00 a.m.

The debate is a shift from the regular youth forum format, due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Speaking with JIS News, Chair of the Youth Forum Planning Committee, Michelle Golding Hylton, informed that the students, representing the three counties – Cornwall, Middlesex, and Surrey – were engaged in preliminary competitions over the past month.

“The aim and focus of the debate competition is to hear the views of the youth on online learning and other issues that are affecting them during the pandemic,” Mrs. Golding Hylton said.

The students will debate the moot ‘Be it resolved that the circumstances surrounding the pandemic are preparing the youth to embrace the use of technology in the teaching and learning environment’.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, will bring greetings.

The Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB) Joan Duncan Foundation is the main sponsor of this event. Other sponsors are GraceKennedy and the National Baking Company Foundation.

The final activity for the NCMC is the Academic Achievement Awards ceremony, which recognises students from non-traditional high schools who have done exceptionally well in their external exams.

It is scheduled to take place on Friday, December 17.