St Rose’s High out-argued Aurora Secondary School yesterday when the annual JOF Haynes Memorial Inter-Secondary Schools Debating Competition was launched at the Theatre Guild in Kingston.
The winning school also copped the best speaker award yesterday arguing that “Caribbean territories have not done anything of significance to mitigate the effects of climate change.” The Aurora Secondary school opposed.
The competition will see schools from different administrative regions across Guyana participating such as the Novar Secondary, Christiansburg Secondary, St Ignatius Secondary, Skeldon High, Zeeburg Secondary, Santa Rosa Secondary and President’s College.
Chief Education Officer Olato Sam in brief remarks said the activity is usually held every year during Education Month and it hold tremendous value in the education sector.
He encouraged the students present to act as role models and advise others who are not participating to be part of the competition.
The JOF Haynes Memorial Inter-Secondary schools debating competition is used to celebrate the expertise of the late JOF Haynes, who in his day was identified as one of the the most brilliant and eminent lawyers of his generation. It was Haynes who started the competition 25 years ago. After his death the Ministry of Education together with Hughes, Fields and Stoby law firm proudly joined in hosting the competition every year.
The judges are Chief Judge Benita Hunt, who is the Director of an online English Programme; Sadam Hussain, Head of the Mathematics Department at Stewartville Secondary school and Coreen Jacobs-Chester, Lecturer at the University of Guyana.
Among those present at the launch were Senior Educator Ingrid Fung, Senior Education Officer Carol Benn, teachers and students of the various secondary schools across the country.
Previous winners of the competition include the Mackenzie High School, which copped the winning prize two consecutive years (2011-2012), Central High School and Christiansburg Secondary. This year’s winner will have the opportunity to represent the education sector at the international level.
