YPM TZ conducted debate competition which involved 55 schools in Lushoto District with a total 615 of students (Female 339 Male 276)
This Debate competition started since February 2018 by forming a committee of five members one from YPM staff and four teachers from different schools as team of coordinators.
The debate involved various educational stakeholders and has involved all secondary schools in Lushoto District Council and some six schools from the Bumbuli Councils.
The competition also included the Public Debate Format (PDF) training for all English teachers at Secondary Schools established by the Youth Peacemakers Tanzania.
On 10th August, 2018 YPM in celebration of the International Youth Day conducted Debate Competition Finals at the District level which was held at Shambalai Secondary School hall. The District Commissioner of Lushoto was the guest of honor, whereby other stakeholders such as the District Executive Director, the District Education Officer, Ward Education Officers Radio Utume and the community were invited to take part in the occasion. The District Commissioner was represented by the Lushoto Division Officer.
In running this competition, the following benefits were attained by the participants:-
1. Students were trained on S2C (Subject to Citizen) which is one of the methodology used by YPM to create the sense of responsibility, duty and rights among youths as community members.
2. Learners gained wider knowledge in the course of preparation for the bigger event. They consulted, discussed and read different sources to acquire evidence and supporting points for their arguments.
3. Students develop self-confidence and ability to present their topics in front of people from different caliber.
4. They got exposure by travelling from one school to the other in carrying on with the competition at different levels.
5. Learn more English language that was used at all levels in the debate, not because Swahili is not important but as a way to build skills on the media of learning used at Secondary Education.
6. Students created network, partnership and peer to peer relations.
7. More than 40 teachers were able to attend and learn new technics and methodology of conducting the PDF debate.
Despite these benefits we have also met the following as follows;
1. Some schools did not participate fully in the competition, without crucial reasons.
2. Financial challenges was a major challenge especially during inter schools competition at Ward levels, where students presenting one ward were required to meet another ward.
3. The students seem to lack strategies for preparing themselves as best presenters and give strong evidence to support their arguments.
4. Many students are unaware of the Public Debate Format (PDF)
Future Plans
1. We are looking forward to
a. Conducting debates that will be involving all existing Secondary Schools in the Lushoto and Bumbuli Council.
b. Running a competition that will involve all Secondary Schools in the Tanga Region (Inter district level)
c. Finding effective representatives who will represent us in various issues at the National and International levels.
Based on so many direct and indirect profitable benefits in this competition, YPM requests cooperation from various stakeholders to enable the competition to succeed 100% for future years by facilitating us in the following issues.
1. Assistance in transport and food for students especially from inter-ward level.
2. Support the improvement of gifts to bring more motivation to students
3. Intensified Public-Private Partnership in this sector through involvement of our Councils(Lushoto and Bumbuli) in improving the competition.
4. Ideas to make the competition attractive, educative and empowering.
le who has taken loans and returned already. Altogether 2,884,000 shillings have been returned to the group. But time to return loans is however also mentioned as one of the challenges facing the group, and some were concerned about what to do about people traveling away without paying back. YPM advised the groups to have a clear charter of rules on how to handle delayed payments, not to lend out money to unreliable persons, and to report any form of theft to the police. Travel is not an excuse for delayed payment as modern technology, like money sent through mobile account, makes transactions possible across distance.
e we are weak, but together we are unbreakable. Priorities for follow up should be decided collectively in the community, and ambassadors of PETS should make sure they report back to the village to inform them on their progress, build trust and get community power. In that way we are doing advocacy with the community, not for them.
