IISR seniors win the cluster debate

JEDDAH — In a keenly contested debate International Indian School, Riyadh, emerged victorious in the battle of words. They grabbed  the team title by a narrow margin of just 1.5 points beating International Indian School, Jeddah, to the “First Runner Up” and International Indian School, Dammam, to the “Second Runner Up” spot. The Inter School Senior English Debate of the 25th Cluster Meet of CBSE Affiliated Schools-Saudi Arabian Chapter saw the participation of various CBSE affiliated schools from across the Kingdom with great gusto. The topic of the debate was “Obsession for an extravagant lifestyle has led to a decline in values among the youth”. The Jury included Imran Khan, Dr. Laxman Sockalingam, and Ms. Rubab Azaad. The program commenced with the recitation of a few verses from the Noble Qur’an, followed by its translation. The Head Girl of IISJ, Lamiah Basheer, then delivered the welcome speech. The speakers from both the ‘For’ and the ‘Against’ teams displayed immaculate oratory skills and charmed the audience with their eloquent rhetoric. The rebuttal round too witnessed some fiery speeches and tested the skills of the participants to think on their feet and respond. In the Individual Speech Category, the first best Speaker award from the ‘For’ Team went to Sahel Basharat of IISR. The second berth was bagged by Anubhav Sharma, a student from IISD. Marlyn S. George of IISJ earned the third spot. The first best speaker from the ‘Against’ team was awarded to Jeffrey M. Thaj of IISJ. The second spot was  grabbed by Mohd. Aazim Khan of IIS Jubail. The third berth went to Mohd. Kamran Jalal of IISR. The winners were conferred with certificates and trophies for their exhilarating performances. IISJ Principal  Masood Ahmed, along with the Inter School Debate Coordinator, Mrs. Reeta Sharma, also distributed souvenirs to all the participants as a mark of gratitude and honor. Speaking on the occasion, Imran Khan stressed on the need of enhancing communication skills and building a strong character in view of the great challenges facing today’s youth. Dr. Laxman Sockalingam quoted Shakespeare, Keats and Alexander Pope and stated — “Effective communication is one of the most important life skills we can learn—yet one we don’t usually put a lot of effort into.” Ms. Rubab Azaad extolled the performances of the contestants, stating the relevance of public speaking in today’s work environment. Masood Ahmed, too eulogized the eloquent speeches of the debaters. He, in his address, commended the efforts of the teachers and congratulated the winners for their stupendous performances as debaters and future orators. Shoukat Parvez, the principal of IISR, highlighted the need for procuring a strong base for the enhancement of public speaking skill. The program concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by Ajiza Ahmed, assistant head girl of IISJ.