Debate Association (Singapore)

Should students be held liable for their online comments? [Debate of the Month]

Gaurav Keerthi — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:57:57 +0000

Recently, a young trio were hauled up for posting some racist comments on facebook. Some people said they were too young and silly to understand the implications of what they were saying. Others said that racism is too dangerous a problem to ignore and that they must be taught a hard lesson. What’s the right answer? How harsh should we be on youngsters who post material on the internet that may get them in trouble with the law? Should age matter? Or should we adopt a strong stand against such kids, to enhance the deterrent effect?

Well my fellow debaters, what do you think?

[Best Comment of the month stands to win an exclusive DA(S) 5-VCD debate set with accompanying guide booklets]

Should scholarships be given only to those in financial need? [Debate of the month]

Gaurav Keerthi — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:01:30 +0000

Private and public sector institutions in Singapore offer a dazzling array of scholarships every year. Students who perform well in their A level examinations (or equivalent) can apply for prestigious scholarships to fund their university education and assure them of great career trajectory after graduation. The financial support from these scholarships often includes full tuition fees for the university of their choice (often amounting to US$300,000 and above, for Ivy League universities ), and can sometimes even include a small (or large) allowance for living expenditure. The scholarship system in Singapore is designed on a purely meritocratic basis – that is, as long as you are good enough, you can get the scholarship. It does not take into account your financial status – thus, many scholars actually come from families that could have already afforded to send their child to university without government funding.

So here is the question, my potentially-scholarship-receiving fellow debaters: Should our scholarship system remain based on purely meritocratic grounds, or should we take into account socioeconomic considerations? Is there a difference, and if so, is it an important difference? Let’s hear your views!

[Best Comment of the month stands to win an exclusive DA(S) 5-VCD debate set with accompanying guide booklets]

SSDC 2010: Prelim Round 2 photos and results

Gaurav Keerthi — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:05:20 +0000

Motions from Round 2:

6pm – This House believes that the United States should not withdraw troops from Iraq
7:15pm – This House regrets that Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize
8:30pm - This House would impose a tax on large bonuses paid to bankers

Results of Round 2 coming soon.

Wits & Words 2010: Adj Workshop for HCI

Chan Yong Wei — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:24:52 +0000

DA(S) conducted an adjudication workshop for over 60 Hwa-Chong Institution students on 6 Mar 2010, as part of our effort to develop a strong pool of adjudicators for Wits & Words 2010. We have attached the materials used during this workshop for your reference.

W&W Scoresheet

W&W Filling Out the Scoresheet

2010 W&W Adj Camp Slides

Adjudicators Needed: Wits & Words 2010

Chan Yong Wei — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:03:58 +0000

DA(S), in conjunction with MOE Gifted Education Branch and Hwa-Chong Institution, will be organising Wits & Words 2010. Wits & Words 2010 is a national-level primary school debate competition, utilising an adaptation of the World Schools’ format, albeit with shorter speech times and greater emphasis on proper persuasive speaking style. This is the first year that DA(S) will be involved in the convening of this tournament.

We need adjudicators for the preliminary rounds of this tournament on 16 Mar 2010, at Hwa-Chong Institution, from 0900hrs – 1500hrs. Lunch will be provided. If you have some prior experience with adjudicating at the Singapore Secondary Schools’ Debate Championships or any other tournament that utilises the World Schools’ format, and if you are willing to be a part of this exciting development in the emerging primary school debate circuit, please contact Alessa. If you will only be able to make it for the morning or afternoon rounds, do let her know as well. We’ve attached the day’s programme for your reference.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Wits & Words 2010: Programme for 16 Mar 2010

Chongfu School seeks Pri Sch Coach

Chan Yong Wei — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:22:26 +0000

Chongfu School is looking for a debate coach to lead their team through the Wits & Words 2010 Primary School Debating Competition. Current student debaters (Junior College, Polytechnic or Secondary) may apply. You should be available every *Wednesday afternoons from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on competition days*. Interested candidates please contact Meliza.

Adjudicators Needed: World Scholar’s Cup 2010

Chan Yong Wei — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:40:16 +0000

The World Scholar’s Cup is an international non-profit educational foundation that brings secondary school students together online and in person to compete in a series of events related to a special global curriculum. The idea is to build an international community of future leaders and thinkers, while helping students gain new knowledge and skills. The curriculum changes each year; this year’s theme is “A World Divided.” One of the four main events of each tournament is a team debate (teams are comprised of three students).

Singapore is hosting the Southeast Asian leg of the tournament this year. The format of the competition is slightly different from the standard World School’s debate format, and adjudicators will have the opportunity to watch a variety of participants from all over the region.

The team debates will take place on 27 March 2010 at Nanyang Girls’ High School, and the organisers are appealing for volunteer adjudicators on that day itself. The event runs from 12pm to 6pm, and lunch will be provided. All volunteer adjudicators will receive training on that day itself, as well as a certificate of appreciation.

If you are interested in being a volunteer adjudicator for this event, please contact Kristine Oehlers. If you have any other queries, you may also contact Daniel.

Request for Adjudicators for MIDC 2010

Gaurav Keerthi — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:41:00 +0000

Dear Adjudicators,

The MOE Invitational Debating Competition (MIDC) will be taking place over the next few weeks. The dates for the MIDC are:
Preliminary Rounds 1 and 2: 20 March 2010 (Saturday)
Preliminary Rounds 3 and 4: 10 April 2010 (Saturday)
Quarter-Final and Semi Final: 17 April 2010 (Saturday)
Grand Final: 28 April 2010 (Wed)

We are looking for adjudicators who have experience debating at this competition during your school days, and have adjudicated before at a WSDC-style competition, such as SSDC/”JGs”. If you fit this criteria, please fill in the form below. Thanks again to all our volunteers!

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Wits & Words 2010: Materials from the Teacher Training Workshop

Chan Yong Wei — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:41:50 +0000

These are the slides and other materials used at the Teacher Training Workshop held on 6 Feb 2010 in conjunction with Wits & Words 2010. This material is designed for primary school teachers who wish to understand the GEB-HCI-DA(S) Inter-Primary School Debates “Wits & Words” and who wish to learn the basics of coaching a team and adjudicating a debate.

Wits & Words 2010: Teachers’ Resource Sheet

Wits & Words 2010: Slides Used For Adjudicator Training for Teachers

Wits & Words 2010: Slides Used for Coaches’ Workshop

If you have further queries on any aspect of Wits & Words 2010, feel free to get in touch with us!

NCS 2010 – Preliminary Rounds

Michael Thng — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:16:17 +0000

The NUS Challenge Shield 2010 Preliminary Rounds were held on the 20th of February 2010. The results & motions are as follows:

Motions:

Round 1: Children
THW ban child performers in circuses
THW make the age of consent relative to the parties involved
THW punish children for crimes committed by their parents

Round 2: Tertiary Education
THBT higher education should be funded by a graduate tax system
THW allow hate speech on campuses
THW make sex and race quotas compulsory in all tertiary institutions

Round 3: National Policy
THW nationalise all natural resources in the developing world
THW grant permanent residence to all illegal aliens
THW not allow religious political parties from standing in elections

SECONDARY SCHOOLS (winners are listed in bold)

Round 1
RI (Sec) vs RGSS
NYGH vs Cat High
HCI (Sec) vs CHIJ (St Nicks)
MGS vs ACS (Independent)

Round 2
RGSS vs ACS (Independent)
Cat High vs HCI (Sec)
RI (Sec) vs NYGH
CHIJ (St Nicks) vs MGS

Round 3
RGSS vs Cat High
CHIJ (St Nicks) vs RI (Sec)
NYGH vs MGS
ACS (Independent) vs HCI

Semi-Finalists:
Catholic High
Nanyang Girls High
Raffles Girls Secondary School
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)

JUNIOR COLLEGE (winners are listed in bold)

Round 1
ACJC vs RI (JC)
ACS (Independent) vs SAJC
AJC vs VJC
SJI (International) vs HCI (JC)

Round 2
RI (JC) vs ACS (Independent)
VJC vs HCI (JC)
SAJC vs ACJC
AJC vs SJI (International)

Round 3
HCI (JC) vs RI (JC)
SJI (International) vs ACJC
ACS (Independent) vs VJC
SAJC vs AJC

Semi-Finalists:
Raffles Institution (JC)
Hwa Chong Institution (JC)
Anglo-Chinese Junior College
Victoria Junior College

The Semi-Finals will be held on the 27th of February 2010.