Climate change debates: Focus shifts to Busoga, Western schools

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📍 BUSOGA & WESTERN REGIONS (JUNE 24)
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We are one week into the regional qualifiers of the Green Schools Initiative's 2024 edition of the Climate Change Debate and when today (Monday) comes to an end, six more schools will have made the cut for this year's national championship.

These six schools, whose identities will be worked out in the course of what promises to be a jam-packed busy day of debating, will be selected — three apiece — from the two regions of Busoga and Western.

They will join in the August nationals another 18 schools that have already qualified from six other regions since the start of the regional qualifiers of this season's debating competition last Monday (June 17).

And as the regional debates draw ever closer to a 'central' conclusion, attention today will turn to Jinja College in Jinja city and Kibubura Girls' Secondary School in Ibanda district, the respective hosts of the Busoga and Western competitions.

With six regional champions already known, this next leg will produce two more along with the other four schools (second and third top finishers) that will join them in the nationals.

It will be a tight squeeze, so debating teams will have to be at their very best to stand a chance of advancing.

And to be at their finest, they will have to draw from the weeks or even months of preparation as they argue their way through the debate rounds, tackling motion after motion related to climate change.

"It has been very competitive," said Green Schools Initiative project coordinator Sidney Miria of this second edition of regional qualifiers.

"Compared to last year, we are seeing improvement in the level of debate and interest from the learners."

Miria, who is also New Vision's Content Manager of Special Projects, said they have seen more of students interacting with study materials such as newspapers.

And for those that are avid readers, it has shown in the quality of their debating. They have been observed to be more refined in articulating issues and rebutting arguments.

"My appeal is for teachers and headteachers to take debate as very important — the same way they do football, athletics, etc. They need to prioritize debate so that it can help improve the analytical skills of the learners," said Miria.

He desires that schools make debating in general part and parcel of the curriculum. 

"It is going to help them get better students at the end of the day. This is not just for climate change. It will help the children in their academic work."

On the opening day of this year's competition, the Moroto assistant resident district commissioner, Dinah Adupa Lorika (pictured below), shared similar sentiments.

▪️  'Debates in schools should be a continuous process'

"The debating should not remain here at Moroto High School [hosts of the Karamoja qualifiers]. The debating should continue in your schools," said Lorika.

"Let it be a continuous process. Have those debates in the timetables."

Debate is one of the two tracks of the Green Schools Initiative, which was launched in 2023 to sensitize the public on climate change mitigation and adaptation using the school system as the point of entry.

The project's other track focuses on innovative solutions aimed at mitigating or adapting to climate change.

The Swedish Embassy in Uganda is funding the initiative, which is currently in its second year of implementation by Vision Group in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO-Uganda).

One interesting observation is that most of the debaters this year are students of sciences, which, according to Miria, "is very good because it is going to help them with their academics". 

"And I don't know how the arts students will fare because if they are going to stay away from debates, how are they going to hone their critical skills and other related skills?"

Generally though, the qualifiers are going on satisfactorily.

"So far so good," said Miria (pictured below). "I think this is the way to go." 

So, from a judge's point of view, how have these qualifiers been thus far?

Rean Joash Mabonga, who is leading the team of adjudicators from the Uganda Dialogue Arena, shared his thoughts.

"We felt that debaters struggled a bit in the earlier stages of the rounds," he said.

"You find that the quality of the speeches in the earlier rounds of the day are pretty bad but I would like to say that the feedback has been good generally in the rounds.

"You see that as you move on to the third round of the day, the speakers have massively improved.

"Feedback points of the tournament have been effective in terms of how speakers have learnt and grown," said Mabonga (pictured below), a graduate of telecommunications engineering from Kyambogo University.

Meanwhile, Miria said he hopes that there is a third edition of this debating competition "because there is a lot of excitement that has been generated in the regions".

"I am seeing more and more schools wanting to be part and parcel of this."

Teso College Aloet deputy headteacher Charles David Omona, whose school hosted the Teso qualifiers mid-last week, too appealed for the continuity of the initiative.

"Our boys have become more innovative and creative" as a result of the Green Schools Initiative, he said last Wednesday.

"I want to encourage this initiative and the partners not to bring this programme to an end in the nearby future."

Want to take part? Apply

This year, each of the 10 regions is represented by 10 schools, which had to apply to be considered.

There is an application process because, according to Miria, "we want people to be able to own this project" and "we don't want to impose it on them".

"I want to encourage people to read the newspaper everyday because when there is a call for expression of interest, the adverts are in the newspaper, radio and online," he said.

Usually, the calls go out in November, December or January, depending on the period the competition is to start.

"Anybody can apply - whether you are a teacher, headteacher, deputy headteacher. Even if you are an old student of the school and you feel that you want your school to participate, you can apply on their behalf and then inform them," explained Miria.

"The application process is very simple.

"You only have to state what you have been doing in regard to environmental protection or if you are within the project, what you plan to do.

"You propose some innovative solutions to some of the problems that we are facing in regard to climate change. It could be an adaptation measure or a mitigation measure.

"There is a selection team that will look at the application and see if it [your project] is something that is viable and can be implemented. If you impress that committee, then you end up being selected."

Take a look at the schools expected on today's leg of the regional qualifiers:

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Qualified ✔

With the regional competition continuing today, here is a roundup of the schools that have progressed to the national championship as well as the best individual debaters in the six regions already covered:

 KARAMOJA 

📍 Host: Moroto High School

Top three:

▪️ Lolachat Seed Secondary School (champion)
▪️ Abim Secondary School
▪️ Napak Secondary School

Best female debater: Patience Namujju Kakayi (Lolachat SSS)
Best male debater: Evaristo Ogwang (Abim SS)

Related story 👉🏽 Climate change regional debates under way

 WEST NILE 

📍 Host: Mvara Secondary School

Top three:

▪️ Arua Public Secondary School (champion)
▪️ Mvara Secondary School
▪️ Bishop Angelo Talantino Ediofe

Best female debater: Fortunate Habibu Hidaya
Best male debater: Rout Banang Char

Related story 👉🏽 Aura Public are West Nile debate champs

 TESO 

📍 Host: Teso College Aloet

Top three:

▪️ Soroti Secondary School (champion)
▪️ Teso College Aloet
▪️ St Elizabeth Girls Secondary

Best female debater: Doreen Anuo (Soroti SS)
Best male debater: Collins Engoru (Soroti SS)

Related story 👉🏽 'Debates in schools should be continuous'

 NORTHERN 

📍 Host: Lira Town College

Top three:

▪️ Comboni College (champion)
▪️ Lango College
▪️ Y.Y Okot Memorial Secondary School

Best female debater: Among Genevieve (Y.Y Okot Memorial SS)
Best male debater: Nathaniel Odong (Lango College)

Related story 👉🏽 School debates 'inspire future generations'

 BUGISU/BUKEDI 

📍 Host: Mbale Secondary School

Top three:

▪️ Nabumali High School (champion)
▪️ Tororo Girls' School
▪️ Sebei College Tegeres

Best female debater: Philomina Akiteng (Tororo GS)
Best male debater: Jabeth Chemutai (Sebei College)

 MIDWESTERN 

📍 Host: Kyebambe Girls' Secondary School

Top three:

▪️ Nyakasura School (champion)
▪️ St Leo's College Kyegobe
▪️ Kabalega Secondary School

Best female debater: Harmony Gift Kemigisa
Best male debater: Allan Ajuna