School debate competition moves to Enga

THE Institute of Business Studies school debate competition team is off to Enga this week after the successful completion in East New Britain over the weekend.
Newcomers to the competition and all-girls school Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Vunapope Secondary defeated all-boys school St Mary’s Vuvu, taking home the title. Last year’s winners for the province and runners-up in the IBS National Debate Competition was Kokopo Secondary School.
OLSH Vunapope student Joecy Kabiu said that many of them had no experience in public speaking and thanked IBS and its sponsors for making such an opportunity possible.
“This is something we never new we had it in ourselves to speak in public,” she said.
It was an emotional final for the all-girls team who shared tears of joy and when the results went in their favour.
The IBS School Debate Competition is held at the Sir Tei Abal Secondary School.
The school is the reigning champion for the IBS National Debate Competition last year.
The provincial government, through the Enga Children’s Fund, presented a cheque for K35,000 last week towards the competition.
Enga Governor Peter Ipatas made the presentation to IBS at the institute’s Saraga Campus, in Port Moresby.
The competition in Enga is the last around centres in the country.
All winning schools from the participating provinces will compete in the IBS National School Debate Competition next month in
Port Moresby.
The major sponsors for the competition are Ipatas Foundation, PNG Electoral Commission, L&A Group of Companies, Bank South Pacific, National Capital District Commission and Moni Plus, while the partners are National Broadcasting Corporation and Air Niugini.