India IIPM Global Youth Debate Conclave 2008

Dear all,

As a B-School, The Indian Institute of Planning and Management(IIPM) is unique. IIPM wants to contribute to the creation of a movement, backed by proper education and research which will create a society where exploitation of man by man does not exist, where each individual has the scope to achieve his / her potential to the
fullest extent. In other words, universal humanism is the social vision of IIPM.

Keeping in line with this vision, we at The IIPM, Bangalore presented The Global Youth Debate Conclave that brought forth forceful and wide ranging discussion and debate on issues that concerned the world today in March of 2007. This 2007 Edition
addressed the Millennium Development Goals.

The Global Youth Debate Conclave brought together the finest debating talent from Bangalore and across India as well as abroad. There were three rounds of fierce Individual and team face off debating judged by the best in the business—Mr. Rishikesh Chhabra(Communications Director, WUDI) and Mr. Francis from Toast Masters International. The Conclave also had participants from the East Asian countries of Sri Lanka and Mauritius. The best debater was Abhinav from the Mahaveer Jain college who walked away with prizes worth Rs.20,000 and a magnificent shield.

GYDC 2008 Edition : Climate change and its worldwide impact

The 2008 Edition Global Youth Debate Conclave focuses on opening up an interactive and international platform for discussions to stimulate awareness and action towards `Climate Change and its Worldwide Impact'. The debate will happen across three rounds (One preliminary and two final rounds), and the topics will all relate to
Global Warming and climate change.

This debate conclave would be on the 22nd and 23rd February 2008 and is open to participation from undergraduate and Post Graduate Students of both International and National Universities. The first round would be a preliminary round where in participants would be shown live examples related to economic issues in our nation. (eg: a pothole on the road, a beggar on the street etc). The participants would be tested on their oratory skills and eliminated accordingly. The second round would be on a two team debating format and topics would be given in advance. The final round would be a decider of individual best debaters.

There would be special prizes that would be given out to the best orator on day one, best team in round two and the best debater in the final round overall.

LIST OF TOPICS

PRELIMNARY ROUND: WALK THE TALK

The preliminary round would be an on the spot extempore on the environmental issues in India, where participants will be handed the topics during a 'Walk The Talk' debate, where they will be shown live situations (eg: a pothole on the road, a beggar on the street etc) and asked to opinionate on a related point. It will be totallyn extempore and no prior preparation time will be provided to the
participants.

SECOND ROUND: TEAM FACE OFF

All the participants will be paired into groups of two and they are to participate in a face off against the other teams (two teams will be pitted against each other). The teams will have one topic (with one team for and the other against) and speakers will alternate from each team. The best 12 individual scorers will move to the final
showdown. Each speaker will have 3 minutes (+1 minute grace) to make his points. A minute rebuttal with one question each allowed from the opposition team will be after all 4 speakers have made finished their debates. No cross questions will be entertained. Each team face off will have a winner who will receive separate recognition and accolades. However, only the best individual scorers will make
it to the next round.

TOPIC ONE: E-waste is a global challenge and it requires global solutions

TOPIC TWO: Bio fuel is the best answer to a greener planet

TOPIC THREE: Ocean Desalination can solve the world's fresh water shortage

TOPIC FOUR: Economic growth at the expense of environmental damage, is justified by the need to feed the rising world population

Extra Topic: Tax incentives should be given for green living

FINAL ROUND: BEST DEBATER

The selected finalists will debate individually on a given topic that will again be handed in advance to all participants. Only the stands will be allotted by a draw an hour before the round. The speakers again will have 3 minutes (+1 minute grace) to make his points. There would be no rebuttal. The best scorer will be the winner of the 'IIPM Global Youth Debate Conclave 2008'!

TOPIC FIVE: Market mechanisms are preferable to regulatory
approaches in reducing carbon emissions

CONTACT INFORMATION

All intrested in participating can request for further details

Regards,
Name : Ms. Ninfa Chacko
Designation : Tournamament Director
Address : #419, IIPM TOWER, 100 Feet Road
Koramangala, Bangalore 560032, INDIA
Hand Phone : +919886365408
e-mail : ninfa.chacko@gmail.com

Doha Debates Exchange

Dear all,

It was no standard school trip for a group of Qatari students visiting Cambridge this weekend. Although sight-seeing, punting along the river and somewhat reluctantly sampling British cuisine were on the itinerary, the primary purpose of the trip was far more consequential. Nominated for demonstrating considerable talent in previous Doha Debates, these students had come to England to participate in a unique episode of the programme, filmed in the historic chamber of the Cambridge Union.

Between the 15 students, 10 different Arab nationalities were represented, from Egyptian to Iranian, Afghan to Sudanese. One had beenbrought up in the US, others had never set foot in the West. As the timetable included workshops with top Cambridge debaters and a discussion with the Israel and Arab societies, the potential for heated argument was great.

With the Doha Debates sharing the Cambridge Union's mantra as a 'forum for free speech' the first step was to allow the students to hone their own debating skills through special classes. The workshops, led by two experienced Cambridge debating coaches, were designed to introduce the students to the style of debate known as 'British Parliamentary Debate'.

This style places a premium on the students' ability to think on their feet. Adam Bott, Director of Debating at the Cambridge Union said the sessions were aimed at "developing the students ability" in the areas of "competitive debating, critical thinking, and communication skills".

They were taught how to structure and how to attack an argument, as well as being coached on key aspects of public speaking, equipping them with essential skills for future leadership. Mohammed Abid Shirzai, originally from Afghanistan, says he has enjoyed the "experience of being in such a multicultural society", but the "best points" were definitely the debating workshops as they were an enjoyable way to learn new communication skills and interaction techniques.

The visit was not just a one-way experience either. Cambridge students also gained from the visitors' knowledge of Arabic. The students interacted in an informal setting in the University's Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and those studying Arabic profited from the opportunity to discuss current issues with Qatari native speakers. One student, Nashwa Mohammed El Darawy, emphasized what she recognized to be the mutual nature of the experience and described it as her "first real interaction with the West".

Despite anticipation about the reactions she might receive for wearing a veil she was pleased to say the public tend to "mind their own business" and she did not experience any prejudice because of her attire.Overall, Nashwar sums up the visit as "intense" yet "constructive". She described how it was fantastic for students to have the opportunity to gain "different opinions about issues" and "widen [their] horizons", whichit seems was the purpose of what has been generally acknowledged as ahighly successful visit.

Later that day the students were joined by the Israel and Arab societies to discuss the debate's motion that evening. "You put Israelis, Palestinians, Lebanese and Qatari together and you ask them to think about the role of England…" said one Israeli, "We talked about everything but England!" But was this not the idea? For students on both sides to confront the other, to hear previously unheard opinions.
The role of language itself played a big part in discussions. Brits were amazed at the students' fluent grasp of English, yet Arab students saw it as essential for interaction with the West. Referring to the role English in her life, Tina Niakki (16), described how it changes world perceptions and "overcomes communication barriers." When asked if Westerners should learn Arabic she replied "I don't think people should but it would overcome a lot of the stigma that exists, a lot of the conflict could be resolved."

A lack of understanding seemed to be their common criticism ofsuperpowers like the US. Nashwar recounted the time she met an American soldier,who scornfully asked why she chose to wear the hijab. "These people claim they are in Iraq to help Iraqis, and they don't even know what religion they are!" Yet thankfully she is too intelligent to let bad experiences permanently shape her worldview. As another student, Sheikha Al Anood Al Thani, perceptively commented "If you want peace you need to have dialogue."As discussing Britain's role in the Middle East did not turn out to be their primary conversational agenda, perhaps this shows the essential success of the visit was the interaction itself.

These students, despite their age, already recognize that the role of debating in their lives goes further than competitive tournaments; it is a chance to be open-minded and question values. A far cry from the Islamic youths often depicted by Western media. Nashwa recognized that the aim of debate was to find means of compromise, to have "open dialogue with the other." If these students, Arab and Western alike, can maintain these debating skills and continue to recognize the value of such dialogue, they could well be the ones to finally resolve some of the crucial conflicts in the world today.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/

Bangladesh SDF National Debate Championships 2007

Dear all,

Group of Debaters (GOD) of Dhaka University and Group A of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) became champions in Bangla and English debate competitions respectively in the 2nd Stamford National Debate Championship 2007.

The closing and prize giving ceremony of the tournament was held on Siddeswari campus of the Stamford University, Bangladesh yesterday.Stamford University became runner-up in Bangla debate while Mastermind became runner-up in English debate.A total of 30 teams from different public and private universities and colleges across the country took part in Bangla debate and 24 teams in English debate.Tarek Hasan Shimul of GOD and Nazmus Sadat of Mastermind were adjudged the best debaters of the tournament in Bangla and English debate respectively.

Stamford Debate Forum (SDF) organised the tournament in association with Stamford University, Bangladesh. Channel-i and Radio Today were the media partners.Speaking as the chief guest at the prize giving ceremony, Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star, called on the students to practise debate as something which will bring long-term benefit in every aspect of life.

Three qualities are essential to become a good debater. These are the art of speaking, the art of thinking and the art of convincing, he said, adding that the students should enrich their vocabulary through reading books to express their thoughts clearly.Abdun Noor Tushar, chief adjudicator of the tournament, said the practice of debate will help develop a tolerant leadership.

Prof Dr K Maudood Elahi, pro-vice chancellor, and Prof Hasan Taufiq, registrar of the university, were present as special guests. SDF President Abdullah Mohammad Shukrana and Chief Coordinator Tahsina Yasmin also spoke.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

BBC Doha Debates for December 2007

Dear all,

The Doha Debates are Qatar’s unique forum for free speech in the Arab world. Each month invited speakers debate the hottest issues of the Arab and Islamic world in front of an audience who participate by asking questions. The Doha Debates are chaired by the internationally renowned broadcaster Tim Sebastian, formerly of BBC World’s HARDtalk programme.

Prominent Speakers
Prominent speakers have included: President Bill Clinton; Shimon Peres; Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Shaykh Hamza Yusef, leading Islamic cleric; Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog; Ahmed Maher, former Egyptian Foreign Minister and David Frum, former speech writer for President Bush.

Time and Place:
1st December at the Cambridge Union

Motion:
'This House believes Britain’s role in the Middle East is in terminal decline.’

SHOWING TIMES
Saturday 1st December at 0810 GMT
Repeated: Saturday 1st at 1410, 2010 and Sunday 2nd at 0110, 0810 & 2010 GMT

For the Motion:

Shlomo Ben Ami, Israeli Foreign Minister 2000 - 2001.

Shlomo Ben Ami is a former Israeli Foreign Minister who currently holds the position of Vice-President of the Toledo International Center for Peace in Spain of which he is a co-founder. Mr. Ben Ami was appointed Foreign Minister in 2000, a position he held until March 2001. During his political career, he was involved in various Middle East peace negotiations including the Camp David Summit. He resigned from the Knesset in August 2002.

Baroness Falkner of Margravine.

Kishwer Falkner is a Liberal Democrat Peer in the House of Lords. She was the first Muslim peer for the Liberal Democrats and takes an active interest in foreign affairs and civil liberties and community relations. Baroness Falkner speaks extensively on public policy issues relating to Muslims in the West, multiculturalism and integration. In 2005, she was appointed to the Prime Minister’s Taskforce on Tackling Muslim Extremism.

Against the motion:

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, British Foreign Secretary 1995-97.

Malcolm Rifkind served as British Foreign Secretary from 1995-1997 and was one of only four ministers to serve throughout the whole Prime Ministerships of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major. Before becoming Foreign Secretary, he held the positions of Secretary of State for Scotland, Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Defence. In 1997 he was knighted in recognition of his public service. He is currently a Member of Parliament for Kensington & Chelsea.

Raghida Dergham, Al Hayat Columnist.

Raghida Dergham is a columnist and Senior Diplomatic Correspondent for Al Hayat newspaper, the leading London-based independent Arabic daily. She writes a regular weekly strategic column on international political affairs and is also a political analyst for NBC, MSNBC and the Arab satellite channel LBC. She is a contributing editor for LA Times Syndicate Global Viewpoint and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune and Newsweek Magazine.

Showing on BBC World
On Saturday 1st December at 0810 GMT with repeats at 1410, 2010 and Sunday 2nd at 0110, 0810 & 2010 GMT

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source:http://www.bbcworld.com/Pages/Programme.aspx?id=48

Dubai Intercollegiate Environmental Public Speaking Competition

Dear all,

The Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) conducted a two day environmental competition in the Dubai Knowledge Village. The annually held event targets environmental awareness among students from the college and university levels. The event was well participated, with 270 students from GCC institutions enrolling in it.

For seven years the EEG’s Inter College Public Speaking Competition has been successful in rallying hundreds of youth across many colleges and universities in the United Arab Emirates, as well as from neighbouring countries, since the past couple of years. It is widely seen as a value added exercise, promoting environmental research and skills, and providing a platform for networking, sharing and learning. It is a well anticipated event that attracts students and teachers, and is ably supported by environmental experts from the academic sector and business who bring their proven expertise to enrich it. Since inception, a set of companies have provided sponsorship while the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research has provided his patronage to the event, making it a strong example of cross sector collaboration on environmental concerns.

The corporate sponsors this year were Al Safi Club for Friends of the Environment and Volkswagen, and the supporting organisations were Dubai Knowledge Village and Marriott Business Council. All these organisations have been associated with successive cycles of the competition. EEG has been engaged in long term advocacy to leverage environmental knowledge and skill building as a pre-requisite for addressing sustainability in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf. The NGO has pioneered leading programmes like workshops for students, teachers and companies, environmentally themed public speaking competitions for schools and universities, awareness campaigns for schools, recycling campaigns involving academic institutions, clean up drives, and so on. The over arching objective is to enhance the level of know how and public responsibility on environmental issues by creating awareness in the early years of life and facilitating an informed citizenry for future.

The competition this year reached the highest level of participation so far, with 270 students from 47 institutions in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman. It is noteworthy that teams from neighbouring GCC countries came to join in the competition and test their knowledge and skills, and gives ample evidence to the success of EEG’s educational outreach across the Region.

The topics of the competition were “Are the Cities in UAE sustainable?” and “Impact of Global Warming on Bio Diversity” on the first day and “Is urbanization affecting the climate?” and “Desert Greening – is it feasible?” on the second day. The set of topics reflects EEG’s conscious choice in putting forth some of the most critical issues facing the world, and in particular, the Region, and have the highest influence on the state of the environment.

The jury comprised a galaxy of well known experts and leaders in environmental and related fields from the public and private sectors. It included Dr. Darem Tabaa, Director, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Al Baath University, Syria and Director, Spana Syria, Dr. Tomador Hassoun, President, ANVK, The Arab Dutch Women’s Council, Dr. Eisa Mohammed Abdellatif, Senior Technical Advisor, Zayed International Prize for the Environment and Dr. Radhiya Al Hashimi, Director, Environmental Center for Arab Towns, Dubai Municipality.

Participating teams demonstrated a great deal of interest and enthusiasm in canvassing the topics chosen by them. Each participating college or university had allocated one or more members of the faculty to assist the teams in conducting their research and preparing their contributions. Teams were assessed based on their research and depth of environmental knowledge, environmental problem solving solutions and suggestions, oration and presentation skills. Each team consisted of a speaker and up to four facilitators, accompanied back stage by a teacher. All the teams put up a great performance to make for a lively and competitive contest. It reflected the keenness of today’s youth to explore critical issues related to sustainable development, understand them and seek solutions to the huge challenges facing the Region in this respect. It is hoped that the lessons learned during the competition and its preparatory process will impart a positive life long impact on these young men and women and motivate them to adopt sustainable habits and practices throughout their professional and personal lives.

The seventh cycle of the competition was inaugurated by EEG’s Chairperson Habiba Al Marashi, known for her fire brand style and passionate advocacy of environmental and sustainability issues. In her opening speech she said, “EEG has been leading a drive to rally support for the environment and motivate responsible action across individuals and sectors. Our education programmes are high tuned to suit this objective, and our emphasis is on building knowledge and skills required to be environmentally responsible citizens, among students in schools, colleges and universities. Today’s programme is one such initiative that is directed at the youth, to help make them aware of critical environmental issues, and providing them with a platform to express their thoughts, ideas and suggestions on how to improve the condition of the environment.”

The closing session was attended by key officials from the sponsoring organisations.
Speaking on the occasion, Iris Kraska, Marketing & PR Director for Volkswagen Middle East said, “We at Volkswagen Middle East are very proud to join hands with the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) for the 7th Inter College Public Speaking Competition. It is an excellent platform for getting students to study, research and discuss one of the most important topics of this generation, the environment. Ultimately, it is the younger members of our community who will lead the way in fighting to protect and preserve the environment, which has now become a global challenge. Wherever we look – design, climate technology, architecture, material development – researchers and developers take their lead from nature, just as we do in the automotive industry. Volkswagen has been committed to protecting the environment for many years and partnering in initiatives like the Inter College Public Speaking Competition with the EEG reinforces our commitment.”

Mr. Mohammed Al Sarhan, Manager, Al Safi Club for Friends of the Environment, said, “Al Safi Club for Friends of the Environment is proud to be a close and long term associate of the EEG. We are committed to developing opportunities for playing an active role in environment protection and sustainable development. We think the Arabian Gulf Region needs many more platforms such as this competition so that our youth can be nurtured to their full potential and their skills can be sharpened so that they can ably take on the mantle of future leaders and decision makers.”

Dr. Ayoub Kazim, Executive Director of Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City said “We are very pleased to sponsor and participate in the 7th Inter-College Public Speaking Competition, which was organized by Emirates Environment Group and participated by 47 local and regional universities and colleges. I believe such essential events that address best practices in energy and water conservations, mitigation of carbon emission, utilization of renewable resources and other energy and environment related areas would enlighten and educate everyone including our students in this community. These topics are of a great importance by all communities and countries around the world and having many university students in this region compete among each other is found to be overwhelming.

“Also, we are extremely proud that two of our key business partners namely University of Wollongong and BITS Pilani won the top spots in the environmental competition event. Their achievements demonstrated the superior quality of their students as well as high academic standards adhered by these institutions”, he added.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

© 2007 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

IDEA Visits Bangladesh

Dear all,

In mid-November IDEA made its first appearance in Bangladesh for the inaugural Bangladesh Open held at the Islamic University of Technology (IUT) just north of the capital Dhaka. The event was organized by the Bangladesh Debate Council, which invited IDEA to come help adjudicate and train debaters. Students came from Bangladeshi high schools and universities as well as a contingent from the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) to make this an international tournament.

On my first day in the country, I along with Claudia Newman-Martin from Australia, trained a group of students in the British Parliamentary debate format and in debate/argumentation more generally. We covered a variety of topics in our workshop, from hate speech to globalization’s effect on the poor to sanctions on Burma, to demonstrate some of the most effective tactics in debating. Chief among these was an injunction to set up a level playing field and win debates on wit – something there is no shortage of in any debate community – as opposed to deception. The students from this training, mostly high school-aged, were extremely enthusiastic and well-informed, demonstrated by the fact that two of the students from the training even placed 3rd in the Bangladesh Open.

The topics at the Bangladesh Open ranged from space exploration to the protection of cultural heritage to Kurdish independence to sex education. The final round was a particularly interesting topic centering on the right of companies to refuse employment to smokers. The sizable audience got to have a few laughs and was entertained by the two Bangladeshi and two IIUM teams in the round – although one of the IIUM debaters is a Dhaka native. One of the most rewarding things for me to see at the tournament was that debates continued after the formal round was over, indicating an enthusiasm for critical engagement that exceeds mere competition.

During my last few days in Bangladesh I went to visit a couple high schools to introduce students to debate and to hear what young people in Dhaka had to say. At the Aga Khan School, I fielded lots of questions about debate and IDEA, introduced a few brief concepts of debate, and then facilitated an interesting (and lively!) debate about the merits of arranged marriages. At the Baccalaureate International Tutorial, I got the chance to hear the students’ views on the influence of American culture on Bangladesh and had a great time listening.

If you’re a Bangladeshi reading this – thanks to all for showing me a good time in your country; I am now craving paan and spicy curry in the freezing Seoul winter! I hope you enjoy some of the photos posted to this blog and I hope to see you again.

Alex Dukalskis
IDEA Program Coordinator
adukalskis@idebate.org
www.idebate.org
phone from Korea: 02.2648.7611
phone from outside Korea: (+82) 2.2648.7611

Bhutan's First International Debate Participation

Dear all,

For the first time ever, Bhutan will participate and compete against other SAARC countries in the super finals of the 10th Dr Mahbub Ul haq Memorial Inter-school Debate Competition in New Delhi, India, on December 3.

Rinchen higher secondary school, who won the national round, will represent Bhutan. In the national round, five high schools - Rinchen HSS, Nima HSS, Yangchenphug HSS, Kelki HSS and Motithang HSS locked horns on November 7 to debate on “Global warming, melting glaciers and rising sea levels spell doom for the South Asian region: A myth or a reality.”

Ugyen Wangchuk, 19 and Rinchen Lhamo, 18, both class XI-Arts students told Kuensel that they have been preparing hard for the coming debate. They are thorough with their speeches and have memorized all the points. The topic for the super finals is “Unchecked consumerism and industrialization have led to global warming and climate change, which will affect the poor. The rich are responsible.”

While both of them are passionate about the global warming issue, Rinchen Lham will speak for the motion and Ugyen Wangchuk against.“We are excited and happy to represent our country and school but are a little nervous too,” said Ugyen Wangchuk, who bagged the best speaker trophy in the national round.

Principal Kunzang Choden Tshering and proprietress Sangay Zam said that they are proud that their students are representing Bhutan at an international level. “We are hoping for the best, but it’s their participation that’s important,” said the principal. Ugyen Wangchuk and Rinchen Lham will leave the country on November 30.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9472

MMU Malacca Women's IV 2008

Dear all,

Voices MMU Malacca proud to announce that we'll be hosting
Women's Intervarsity Debate Championship 2008.

A debate tournament just for the ladies!
Chief Adjudicator: Adiba Shareen from UiTM, Shah Alam. She was the All-asians 2007 champion.DCA: Divya Swaminathan, from NTU, Singapore. (Australs Women's representativeSuriakala Sivalingam, from MMU Malacca

Details of the tournament:
Date: &nbs! p; 15th-17th February 2008
Venue: CLC, MMU Malacca
Rego: RM 60 per person (not including accomodation)
Format: Asian Parliamentary Format (n=1)
Accomodation: King's Hotel or King's Apartment, Ayer Keroh, Malacca

Registration opens today!

Details to be included:
Name of University/ Institution,
Number of Teams ( Name of 3 debaters per team),
Names of adjudicators,
Accomodation (whether or not you'll need)

Please submit your registration to womensiv.2008@
gmail.com.

For further inquiry about the tournament, please contact Suria (014-2612187/ 017-6070010), Ju-li (017-6239016) or Yi Ling (017-6125996).

Hope to hear from all of you soon!

Regards,
Suriakala Sivalingam
Convenor, Women's IVMMU Malacca

India SDP Inter-College Debate Competition 2007

Dear all,

SDP College for Women organised an inter-college debate competition in the college campus today. The competition was held in the memory of former MLA Om Parkash Gupta, who was also a social worker and philanthropist.

The topic for the debate was ‘Minimum educational qualification should be compulsory for political leaders’. Seven teams from various colleges of the district took part in the contest. The participants spoke for and against the motion. Their strong arguments and communication kept the audience spellbound.

Ginni Karir of Government College for Women bagged the first prize. Shalini of SDP College got the second prize and Shivani Mehta of Guru Nanak Girls College secured the third position. The overall running trophy was won by Partap College of Education.

Dr Vinay Arora, Dean Academics, planning and Development, Research and Coordination, Panjab Technical University, presided over the competition. The chief guest was accorded a warm welcome by College President Balraj Bhasin, Principal Dr Geeta Bhandari, Director S Verma, heads of SDP Educational institutions, members of the management and the staff. The jury included Bindu Sharma, H K Grewal and Dr Rajinder Sahil.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.expressindia.com

Mandarin and Taiwanese Speech Contest 2007

Dear all,

Kumagai was one of the 45 contestants from 14 countries, including Slovenia, Poland, Japan, South Korea, Macedonia, the UK, Vietnam and the US, to compete on November 29, 2007 in the 12th annual Mandarin and Taiwanese Speech Contest for Foreign Students held by Rotary Club district 3250.

"I believe speaking Hoklo is the most direct way for me to really understand the country and its people," he said, adding he would also recommend that his friends in Japan come to Taiwan to learn Mandarin.Contestants were asked to deliver a five-minute speech related to their experiences studying language in Taiwan, with the winner taking home a NT$8,000 cash prize.

Eighteen-year-old Rhaissa Bittar from Brazil, who has been studying Mandarin in Taiwan for three months, said in her speech that Taiwan makes her heart happy, adding that the colorful food at the traditional market by her house was just one of the reasons."The vendors in the market are always very kind and hospitable. They always let me try different food. My neighbors also often ask me to drink tea with them," she said.

Christina Walters, a 17-year-old high school student from Minnesota, said she would consider pursuing a university degree in Taiwan.Walters is currently the only full-time foreign student at George Vocational High School in Taipei.

"I became very interested in Taiwan when I started watching Taiwanese television shows online. I also really like Taiwan's music and fashion," she said.Walters said that she had been a huge fan of Taiwanese boy band F-4 since watching the popular TV show Meteor Garden, which starred the group.

One Indonesian student said she chose Taiwan over China for her language studies because "Taiwan is a free country and the people are very kind."Another student from Poland said she planned to pursue a degree in international politics at National Cheng Chih University after she finishes her one-year Mandarin language course at Tamkang University.

Stella Yang, the president of Rotary Club District 3520's Minsheng chapter, said that compared with their Taiwanese counterparts, foreign students were a lot more self-confident and independent."They are not afraid to show themselves," she said, adding with a laugh: "We find that foreign students who speak Mandarin or Taiwanese well often have a Taiwanese girlfriend or boyfriend."
This story has been viewed 729 times.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/11/18/2003388351