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Overview
Tibet-Prothom Alo-Viqarunnisa Noon Debating Club Festival-2004
Md. Aminul Islam
10/3/2004
With highlighting the theme, "Still we search, we search for a meaningful economy's equator," Viqarunnisa Noon Debating Club launched its 11th auspicious beginning of debating competition. Since its successful journey toward free-thinking through conspicuous debate in 1990, the club is still on the right track in searching the prodigious faces and meeting 21st century world challenges. The club is still in the honeymoon period, but its track record, with the passage of time, has been a glorious one in this sector. Every year the authority arranges such debating competition under the auspice of a multi-national company's sponsorship, a newspaper's publicity support and patronization of prominent personalities. Viqarunnisa is the first initiator of children's debating competition in Bangladesh to be mentioned. They also hold English debating competition that is going on for four years. Inter-club debating consists of class 11-12 to varsity levels. Viqarunnisa debating club allows membership of students from class five.
The Viqarunnisa Noon Debating Club (VDC) has membership of around one thousand ex-students of the academia. It is on the wax. This year's debating competition started on September 11, 2004 and ended up successfully on September 23 in the same month. It drew a widespread response and spontaneous participation from different educational institutions.
The competition was held between two groups—government and opposition. In every session, there was a different topic on which the debaters participated in verbal confrontation through showing their intellectual prowess and mettle. They seemed to be word-warriors. Each setting presided by a speaker and other judges were really vibrant.
In the inter-school debate Viqarunnisa school landed the championship trophy. Dhaka University Debating Society aka DUDS took on NSUDC and clinched the coveted victory. DUDS took their position in the government side. The pivotal subject matter of the finalists was, "Welfare economy is the mechanism that can only reduce the economic disparity."
Viqarunnisa principal Royena Hossain chaired the concluding session. The functioned was graced by the presence of BTRC chairman Sayed Margub Morshed as chief guest, Prothom Alo editor Motiur Rahman and senior vice-president of Kohinoor chemicals (Ltd.) Md. Abul Khair, BTV debating producer Hasan Ahmed Kiron were present among others as special guests. The speakers at the winding up ceremony expressed their gratitude and indebtedness to VDC and put emphasis on debating competition as a way to be an articulate thinker and a part of intellectual property.
Hasan Ahmed Kiron in his welcome speech comments that more initiatives are expected from the conscious class of the society to gear up the debating mentality of the students. Kohinoor group vice-president Abul Khair said, "We get the inspiration of victory from defeat. The triumph of freedom of speech and free-thinking is inevitable. Mr. Khair desired to spearhead such good exertion in future.
Prothom Alo editor Motiur Rahman reiterated his commitment to stand by the VDC if needed. "We are much concerned about the present going-ons of the country. Bangladesh needs promising and dedicated sons to combat the sinister incidents the country is experiencing. Debaters can play pivotal role in this context," he observed.
Margub Morshed in his citation speech said, "Everybody should nurture the efforts to make Bangladesh and its society a rational and debate-based society."
Royena Hossain thanked the participants, guests, guardians and patronizers to smoothly run the debating carnival. She said, "I have been exhilarated for the debaters' sparkling wit and refuting the arguments."
The program was rounded off by presenting awards among the winners amid the cheers and fanfare of the band contingent of the school.
However, debate should be not only for debate. It is not practiced for democracy now. It is for excellence for the overall development of the total humanity. Viqarunnisa is one of the prime movers of debating competition. In the collective movement of debate, every debating body should come forward to like Viqarunnisa.
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