5th Asian universities debating contest kicks off
The six-day 'Fifth Asian Universities Debating Championship (AUDC) 2009' began amid a gala ceremony at a hotel in the city yesterday.
A total of 279 debaters comprising 69 teams of 10 Asian countries will participate in the championship. The participating teams are from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Philippines.
East West University (EWU) is hosting the competition.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony as the chief guest, Speaker Abdul Hamid Advocate said this championship would go a long way to boost the confidence of all the education institutions in the country to achieve bigger goals in future.
“As we all know, debate is more than just an argument. Participants involved in competitive debates are generally skilled in rhetoric and style, enhanced by knowledge,” he added.
Addressing the session as special guest, UGC Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam expressed hope that this competition would have mutual benefits and would be interactive for participants of different Asian countries.
Organisers said this competition would certainly uplift the image of Bangladesh abroad as this is the first time that such kind of mega event is going to be held in any South Asian country.
The tournament is divided into two parts. The preliminary rounds will be held for three days. Top 16 teams after the rounds will qualify for the knockout rounds.
Chair of the AUDC Executive Committee Estelle Osorio, EWU Board of Directors President Jalaluddin Ahmed and Vice Chancellor Prof Mohammad Sharif spoke at the function.
The inaugural ceremony was followed by a cultural function staged by EWU students.
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