Thrilling final debate sees BCS win trophy after 10 years
To a packed audience in the Irwin Hall the finals of the Slater debates had everyone on the edge of the seats wondering – would it be the reigning champions, the talented girls from Kashmir, or the eloquent Bishop Cotton boys?
The BCS Director opened the ceremony saying “We have been delighted with this year’s debate competition particularly with the quality of debates. At times you are asked to defend the indefensible and propose the idea which you strictly reject. The participants have performed with energy and wit.”
In the 165th year since its foundation in 1859, Bishop Cotton has welcomed 16 top schools from across India (and Dubai) to take part in the five day competition – XXVII Revd. Dr. Samuel Slater Memorial Invitational Inter-School English Debates at the heritage campus in Shimla. (*see list)
After a decade in waiting, as other schools claimed the top trophy for the Slater Debates Competition, it was Bishop Cotton’s turn to winthe prestigious title of ‘winners’ of the XXVII Rev’d Samuel Slater Memorial Invitational Inter-School English Debates 2024.
The Chief Guest for the event was Mr Abhishek Verma, Additional Deputy Collector, IAS, Shimla who initiated the proceedings by lighting the lamp. The anticipation was palpable as the two teams geared up to engage in an intellectual showdown that had promised to captivate the audience in a packed Irwin Hall.
The BCS boys’ tough opponents for the finals were the talented Mallinson Girls from Kashmir who were the reigning champions in the Slater Debates last year, in 2023, but this year the BCS boys overcame their nerves and managed to clinch the victory with their eloquent speeches and witty arguments. The final debate showcased the exuberant linguistic talents by Bishop Cotton School’s team and the Mallinson Girls’ School’s team on the topic:
“Community engagement and life skills must be made mandatory in the Indian school curriculum”. For: Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, Against: Mallinson Girls’ School, Srinagar
The debate was enthralling and kept the audience on the edge of their seats. After a well-contested exchange, Bishop Cotton School, Shimla clinched the title of the winner of the XXVII Rev’d Samuel Slater Memorial Invitational Inter-School English Debates 2024 defeating the former victors of the tournament.
The Chief Guest Mr Abhishek Verma, said he encourages debating in all schools; “I started my debating journey at the engineering college. It has helped me bring changes in my life and personality. It immensely helped in different phases of my life. “It’s better to debate a question than to settle it rather to settle a question without debating it.” I firmly believe we should be discussing issues that are in front of us and it will take us long way discussing the difficulties of life. Debating helps you in clearing your mind and help think from different angles and you think from multidimensional viewpoint and it helps you to achieve the sort of self actualisation and self-belief in what you want in life and where you want to go.”
BCS Director Mr Simon Weale said; “We are thrilled to host this competition which is one of the very best in India. To win is an added bonus, but this year we had an excellent team who prepared very hard, supported by their wonderful teachers – they absolutely deserved it. By chance the proposition in the final supported by our boys was that community engagement and life skills should be mandatory in the Indian school curriculum. At BCS, these are mandatory and that explains why our boys are so successful in whatever they choose to do after they leave school.”
The proposition glorified their stance by enumerating the positive impact felt by the society on emphasising the Indian School curriculum’s role in covering different facets of life values. Life skills are essential in reducing crime rates in any ethical community as students are more aware of their environment improving the future of their community. The opposition resolutely underlined the essence of life by highlighting that life skills are self-taught through experiences that inspire us to engage with our community. We must not mandate life skills but nurture them by not reducing ourselves to the mediocrity of this motion but cultivating a sense of empathy. In a gesture that is traditional the runner’s up, Mallinson Girls, were presented with the 2024 Slater’s Trophy that they will take back to Kashmir.
An exciting semi-final had an eye-opening debate unfolded between, the Wynberg-Allen School, Mussoorie and Mallinson Girls’ School, Srinagar. The topic under the hammer was “In the quest for a safe society, the walls of freedom should be fortified.” The opposition negated the stance by rebutting that freedom is not a privilege but a quintessential human right. Restricting liberty paves the way for an ambiguous society scared of its constitution and its values leading to stagnation and regression. The proposition emphasised the protection of liberty by the principles of the constitution as societies with unchecked freedom eventually face impending doom. This enabled the proposition to cement their argument that the security of freedom is essential to preserve humanity. The motion was carried in favour of the former victors Mallinson Girls’ School’s team securing themselves a position in the finale of this fierce competition.
Bishop Cotton School XXVII Revd. Dr. Samuel Slater Memorial Invitational Inter-School English Debates participants:
1. GEMS New Millennium School, Dubai
2. Mallinson Girls School, Srinagar
3. Tyndale Biscoe School , Srinagar
4. Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai
5. Wynberg-Allen, Mussorie
6. Assam Valley School, Assam
7. Vasant Valley School, New Delhi
8. YPS, Patiala
9. Sri Ram, Moulsari
10. St. Georges, Mussoorie
11. Convent of Jesus and Mary, Dehradun
12. Auckland House School, Shimla
13. Auckland House School for Boys, Shimla
14. St. Thomas School, Shimla
15. Sherwood College, Nainital
