The 5th International Schools Debating Championship has officially begun

Doha- QatarDebate center

Yesterday morning witnessed the launch of the activities of the Fifth International School Debating Championship in Arabic and English, in its virtual version.

Organized by the QatarDebate Center – Member of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development –

The opening ceremony presented by Ms. Gourour Abdul Wahed witnessed a wide attendance on ZOOM platform and YouTube.

The ceremony began with an introductory film, in which the magnificent landmarks of the State of Qatar and the modern buildings of Education City were highlighted, followed by a welcome speech from Ms. Ghoror: “Welcome to you, instructors, judges and debaters from all over the world. We welcome you again from the heart of Doha to the fifth International School Debating Championship in Arabic and English.

We set out to different parts of the world, enriching dialogue and empowering minds! Our instructors and ambassadors went across digital spaces, and here were today, with your participation, we are launching this international championship! In exceptional circumstances! With the participation of more than 80 teams from around the world, and more than 100 international judges.”

Together we plant the seed of change, that will blossom consciousness, and bear the fruit of inspiration, to reach what we aspire to on several levels.

Dr. Hayat Maraafi

After introducing the championship’s main topics and course, Dr. Hayat Maarafi – Executive Director of QatarDebate Center – presented a recorded speech –in which she said:

“We are gathered here today, different than what we are used to, the good land of Doha has always brought us together with an open heart, and here we are meeting today, from different spaces and many locations, in line with the current circumstances. We were lucky, and praise be to God, to see a few faces in front of us, to guarantee something -albeit a modest one- from the interactions that we are used to in previous championships.

And so we welcome all of you in this exceptional championship, under the umbrella of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. Welcome to the fifth edition of the International School Debating Championship, and for the first time, the competition is in both the Arabic and English languages.”

Dr. Hayat added: “At QatarDebate Center, we believe in diligence, perseverance and honesty at work, and we continue to see challenges as opportunities, which was evident in our investment in the COVID-19 pandemic, as it helped us accelerate our environmentally friendly policies, and follow innovative systems in training and implementation of hundreds of events through online platforms and integrated models. Moreover, we launched an educational website that contains all training courses in the arts of debating and dialogue, which is an option that we had adopted with a vision that preceded the pandemic. We have also designed our national championships to be an electronic version, which was done in a way that brings pride in the involvement of hundreds of students at all school and university levels in an interactive and adaptive manner to the new reality.

And here we are today, welcoming so many participants from around the world, to live together an environment of competition, enthusiasm and cheers.

Our earth, our planet, the cradle of our civilization. From its soil, we grew up, let us come together hand in hand, to overcome the consequences of our accumulated negligence to this earth that accommodated and embraced us. Because our earth is our refuge.

It is through this championship, and through you, that we guarantee having ambassadors for our planet, whom will protect and preserve it in all parts of the world. You are the ideal investment, it is with you that change starts, and impact is achieved, especially among youth circles, in educational settings, and between civil society institutions.

Let us plant together the seed of change that will blossom consciousness and bear the fruit of inspiration, to reach what we aspire to on several levels. From individuals to societies and institutions.”

Wishing for everyone to have powerful competitions, interactive and creative rooms both virtually and in person. 

In turn, His Excellency Minister of Municipality and Environment Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Subaie, presented a recorded speech in which he said: “

The State of Qatar plays a pioneering role in supporting global efforts aimed at preserving the environment and tackling global warming and pollution at all levels, starting with green policies and environmentally friendly legislations, to spreading awareness and promoting civilized environmental behavior,

  It is a source of pride that the State of Qatar is launching a global dialogue between participating youths from 40 countries around the world in the International School Debating Championship, organized by the QatarDebate Center under the slogan “Our Earth, Our Refuge”.

Praising the work of Qatari institutions as a role model in the true translation of sustainability through adaptation and production during times of crises, while considering the health policies and guidelines in light of the pandemic.

His Excellency concluding his speech:” We at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment are happy to be a part of supporting this global dialogue and partnership to make it a success, and there is no doubt that with collaborated efforts between governmental and official institutions and across different sectors, we can make the desired progress.”

The opening segments were concluded with the announcement of the start of the championship activities and the launch of the first round after the technical meeting.