KARACHI: Second Pakistan inter-school debate contest
By Our Reporter
KARACHI, March 3: Thirty four schools took part in the 2nd Pakistan Declamation Contest 2007, organised by the Saint Patrick’s High School here at a local hotel.
The judges of the event were, Director Feroze Textile Saifur Rehman, former editor She (magazine) Nazish Nomani, journalists Sumera Naqvi and Nizam Siddiqui, and Ziauddin University Hospital vice-chancellor Shahid Aziz Siddiqui.
The programme was sponsored by Gulf Air, Feroze Textile and Sri Lankan Airlines.
The contest was divided into two rounds. In the initial round all the participants were given three topics– ‘With great power comes great responsibility’, ‘Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to change it every six months’, and ‘Democracy – is it a way out for everything’.
While in the following session ten finalists were asked to speak extempore on various topics. A few students fumbled and forgot their speeches and some of them dropped the papers on which they had jotted down their points in confusion.
Two speakers, Ahmed Ali and Ume-Kulsoom Chinoy, really captivated the audience not only because of the way they delivered their speech but also due to way they defended their stance.
Afghanistan, Iraq, Hitler, Napoleon and Saddam were among the much talked about issues of the day.
The first prize, a return ticket to London, sponsored by Gulf Air was clinched by Ismail Umar Ziauddin of the GCU, Lahore, second prize – a return ticket to Sri Lanka – went to Ahmed Ali of the Foundation Public School, while the third prize (a DVD player) was awarded to Ume Kulsoom Chinoy of the Foundation Public School.
