Dansol College wins Nigeria-Britain Association school debate

Dansol College has emerged victorious among six other secondary schools, after a debate organised by the Nigeria-Britain Association (N-BA) in honour of Pa Akintola Williams, the patron of the association.

The competition, which was held in partnership with Scib Nigeria and Company, NEM Insurance Plc, and the British Council, saw students of Corona Schools, Vivian Fowler Memorial School, Supreme Education Foundation School, Avi-Cenna International School, Dansol College, Meadow Hall Education and Edgewood College, try to outdo one another in a Westminster-style debate. The Westminster-style debate, otherwise known as the British Parliamentary style debate, is a form of academic debate in which each member of the two debating sides, namely, the proposition and opposition, is allowed a five to seven minutes speech and the opposition team is allowed to interrupt the speaker in what is known as points of information.

The debates, which had preliminary four rounds and a final round that produced the winner, featured topics such as  “Human capital is a more worthwhile government investment than artificial intelligence”, “The Nigerian economy would benefit more from a wider tax net than increasing exports”, “Parents should be held more accountable than school administrators for bullying”, and “Compulsory vaccination is a recipe for global safety.”

Oluwatomisin Coker of Dansol College emerged the overall best speaker in the debate.

In his remarks, the immediate past president of the N-BA, Mr. Shola Tinubu, said the patron of the N-BA, Chief Akintola Williams, in whose honour the school debate was named, was passionate about the event.     

President of the N-BA, Abimbola Okoya, who addressed participants remotely, spoke about the objectives and strategy of the N-BA and commended the efforts of the debaters, whom she described as winners.

“We have a passion for education and the empowerment of the next generation of leaders. This event is an abridged version in honour of our Pa Akintola Williams, to celebrate his 102nd birthday, which he marked last year. This is very important for us at the N-BA because the empowerment of the next generation is one of our core values and also a key element of the Big I.D.E.A., which encapsulates Inclusivity, Diversity, Empowerment of the youth, women and the vulnerable in our society as well as Agility,” she said.

Representative of Lagos State Governor and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Abayomi Abolaji, said the initiative aligns with the various developmental projects embarked by the state government in the educational sector.

“In Lagos State, we take pride in education. An event like this is well appreciated by the state as it is one of the many ways of showcasing the progress made in the education of our youths.

“Lagos State hosted the first national presidential debate, which had 13 states in attendance. The state government has commissioned 1,449 projects across the state and boasts of several interventions, including infrastructure development, curriculum development, and teachers training,” he remarked.

Abolaji urged the organisers to invite public schools in the state to future editions of the debate.

Present at the occasion were the patron of the N-BA, Chief Akintola Williams; vice patron, N-BA, Chief Olabintan Famutimi; representative of the Lagos State Deputy Governor and Director of Special Duties, Mr. Adeyemi Adebayo, and Director of Co-Curricular Services, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs. SosanyaOlubunmi.