UTECH Jamaica Western Campus a Strikes Gold in NCU Invitational Debate Series

The University of Technology Jamaica (UTech Ja.) Western Campus A emerged winners of this year’s 11th staging of the Northern Caribbean University Invitational Debate Series on October 16.

The Western Campus’ victory charge was led by Enroy Madourie and Jadon Hewitt, which saw them improving on their third-place finish in 2022 by leapfrogging three other teams in the virtually staged competition, which they defeated in the championship playoffs.

These were UTech Ja. (Papine Campus), Northern Caribbean University (NCU) C, and the University of West Georgia B.

For their efforts, Messrs. Hewitt and Madourie each received cash totalling $20,000, medals, career-building services in résumé development, and professional photography, among other prizes.

Members of the team from UTech, Ja. (Papine Campus), which placed second, each received $15,000, while representatives of third-placed NCU C copped $10,000 each, along with other prizes.

Other entrants in this year’s competition were Moneague College and the University of The West Indies, Mona (Western Jamaica Campus).

The tournament comprised three preliminary rounds in which all teams participated and ended with the grand final playoff among the top-four teams.

The debating format adopted was the British Parliamentary style, with the teams acting as opening and closing government and opposition representatives at various intervals and being given 15 minutes to prepare.

The annual debate features local and international schools that vie for top honours and prizes in one exhilarating day of matches.

The teams debated a variety of motions reflecting topical local and international issues.

Mr. Hewitt told JIS News that he was excited about the competition, as it provided an avenue for young people to gain information and speak about issues affecting their country and the world at large.

He noted that by debating, socio-economic and political issues plaguing young people, such as voter apathy, can be solved.

“In a society where there are high levels of voter apathy, especially among young people, where [they] don’t know what’s going on in their country or they are not able to make the correlation between the surface issues and the underlying causes, I think debating allows [them] to accentuate the underlying reasons,” Mr. Hewitt explained.

The final-year law student said the competition’s impact on the personal development of each student is important, to “get a better understanding of how the world works and become a better mover, shaker, and player in the world”.

For his part, Mr. Madourie, who is also a final-year law student, said he deemed debating as a viable “art that teaches people how to convey ideas properly”.
He indicated that his first experience with debating was at the grade-nine level at his alma mater, Cornwall College.

“No matter what job you are going for, [and even] in your daily life, you’re going to need to persuade people… and young people need that skill now more than ever,” Mr. Madourie said.

He noted that “[some young] people lack the ability to argue reasonably”, while maintaining that disagreements should not hinder healthy relationships from developing.

Mr. Madourie pointed out that during the debate, topics were presented by different “stakeholders”.

This, he said, provided an opportunity for the teams to “get an idea of what public sector or private-sector bodies were interested in”.

As such, Mr. Madourie expressed the hope that more corporate partnerships will be forged for the competition, going forward.

He also noted that being able to understand where public and private-sector interests lie, “helps [young people] to be more rounded in the Jamaican society”.

Chief Adjudicator, Dr. Michael Hester, explained that though the “language” of the motion was not decided by the sponsors, they were able to suggest various topics to be debated.

“One of the motions was about taxation and that round was sponsored by Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ). We had a motion sponsored by the Ministry of National Security that dealt with criminal justice, specifically youth crime-prevention initiatives, and then we had one that was sponsored by the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), and that one dealt with energy,” he outlined.

The coach who guided the first and second-place teams from UTech, Ja. Western and Papine Campuses, respectively, was Executive Director of the Jamaica Association for Debating and Empowerment (JADE), Germaine Barrett.

He told JIS News that he was confident in his teams’ ability to uphold their reputation of excellence in debating ahead of their matches on October 16, following their rigorous training.

“I taught them, first, principles in the areas of economics, politics, sociology, and law, [so that] whatever issue was thrown at them in a debate, by way of the motion or argumentation from the opposition, they [would be] able to formulate robust responses,” he stated.

Mr. Barrett said he believes debating is an important tool for transformation, capacity-building, and solving the social challenges that plague one’s society.

Consequently, he said it should be incorporated into the academic curriculum to build “critical thinking skills and effective communication”.

Event Convener, Noreen Daley, said, the debate, which began in 2012, grew out of other internal competitions at NCU.

“We would do [debates] over a period and then it would culminate at another tertiary institution [so] we decided, let’s just do one day of debating,” she stated.

Regarding the competition’s future, Ms. Daley expressed the hope that the event will return to the physical format that was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also appeals for more local institutions to come on board, adding that she is also pushing for more international participation, to increase the diversity and perspectives on various topics.

“I think what is important is for people to be able to reason together and be able to see things from another perspective, and debating allows you to do that. When that happens, people then develop a spirit of tolerance… [and] we can have a more civil society,” Ms. Daley emphasised.

She expressed the hope that the competition will be a “product that brands will continue to align with”.

Sponsors for this year’s renewal were NCU Media Group, TAJ, Ministry of National Security – LIV GUD, JPS, Kreative Content Freelancing Services, BMC Photography, NCU, Helpmates Essential Services, Zappies Organics, Renie’s Pastries and Café, Naje-Ante Restaurant & Lounge, Heavenly Springs, Spring Paradise Ja, and the Jamaica Information Service.

The competition’s next staging is scheduled for October 21, 2024.