The topic for that debate was: ‘Privatisation of Gambia’s Health Sector Will Lead To Improved Health Service Delivery’. The School of Nursing failed to turn up as a result of which the Medical School had a free ticket into the next round.
In the same venue, the 2012 champions, Faculty of Law, took on 2011 champions, School of Education, in what was billed as a clash of the Titians. Their debate centered on the topic: ‘African Governments Should Not Pay Their Debts to Bretton Woods Institutions’.
The first speaker was Sheikh Omar Sibi of the Faculty of Law. He argued that the loans given by the Bretton Woods Institutions have only promoted a cycle of underdevelopment and corruption in Africa, noting that African countries were forced to sign them through conditions that they have no control over.
Bambo Bayo from the School of Education responded that African countries are obliged to pay their loans based on their obligations under international law. He posited that loans are taken with the intention to pay them back as a result of which it would be a breach of contract to say that African countries should not pay back their loans.
In delivering the judgment, Allil Afi, the chief judge urged the debaters to research their topics before coming to the debate. She also advised them to have more self-confidence in themselves and enjoy the debate.
From Thursday, the debate continued on Friday at SOS Senior Secondary School. Nusrat Senior Secondary School and defending champions in the Senior Secondary School category took on their arch rivals July 22nd Academy. Public Health and last year’s first runners-up Saint Joseph’s Senior Secondary School battled Public Health and St Peter’s respectively.
After the debate, Mr Felix, one of the judges congratulated all the participants including UTG and senior secondary school students. He noted that they exhibited intellectual and scholarly maturity. He advised them not to read, but master their points, admonishing that they should not “over cram.” He encouraged the audience to cheer the debaters, adding that “it is with knowledge that nations can be developed.”
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