Abia public school students win international debate championship in Qatar

The students also secured the Overall Best Team award in the Junior Category, the Best Leadership Award and the Best Debater Award, in addition to 12 laurels for outstanding performances during the competition.

The QatarDebate Centre, founded by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development in 2008, serves as Qatar’s national debating organisation.

Abia government celebrates achievement

Reacting to the achievement, Ukoha described the victory as evidence of the intellectual capacity of students in Abia public schools and an indication of the impact of the state’s education reforms.

“This historic victory has once again demonstrated the strength of Abia’s new education model under Gov. Alex Otti and the intellectual capacity of students in Abia public schools. The Abia Debate Team has made Abia and Nigeria proud,” he said.

The Commissioner for Basic Education, Elder Goodluck Ubochi, also expressed satisfaction with the students’ performance, describing the achievement as an indication that the state’s efforts to transform the education sector were yielding results.

“We feel elated now. What we are doing is that we are transforming the educational sector, and this outcome now is one of the expectations, and they are indicators that what we are doing is working,” Ubochi said.

Students to be honoured on return

Ubochi said the state government would host and celebrate the students after their return from Qatar.

He noted that the debate team was not the only group of Abia students to record notable achievements in academic competitions.

According to him, another student from the state recently won a national essay competition organised by the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools.

“We have a lot of them. One student won the national essay competition organised by the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) nationally. So we have a handful of them that we’re going to celebrate,” he said.

The commissioner said the government was awaiting the return of the students before organising a ceremony to celebrate them alongside other Abia contingents who have represented the state successfully in various competitions.

The victory places the Abia public school students on an international academic platform and highlights their performance in debate, leadership and public speaking while representing Nigeria at the competition in Doha.