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26-2-2009

TEAMS FROM VARIOUS STATES PARTICIPATE IN BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE AT PCTE.


For the first time in the state, Punjab College of Technical Education is hosting a three day long British Parliamentary Debate, “THE WELL” at an Inter-college level, where 25 teams from all over the country are participating. Law Universities, Engineering colleges, medical colleges, B-Schools and IT teams from different states are participating in the event.

Dr. K N S Kang, Director General, PCTE Group of Institutes said that PCTE had been conducting British Parliamentary Debates for the past year now in the campus, and finally it is now being held at an Inter-College level. He explained that in this debating pattern four-member team from each college participates. The four members represent the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Member of Government and the Whip, or alternately if they are in the Opposition they would be Opposition Leader, Deputy Leader, Member of Opposition, and the Whip. The two teams pick up draws to pick up a controversial contemporary topic of the world, where from on a flick of a coin its decided if the team is proposition (the government) or the opposition. They are given few hours to work out their positions with in the team, and research on the topic, and then an approximately an hour and a half long debate is carried out between two teams.

Dr. Kang said while countries from Europe, USA, and many other developed nations followed the pattern, it was still rare in India, and the leading colleges of the nation were eventually warming up to the British or more popularly called World Parliamentary Debate pattern.

Arjun Sethi, a student of PCTE, and Co-ordinator elaborated that a demo debate was done on 26th on the topic “The sun is sinking in the West” for all the teams to gain a clear understanding of how the debate progresses, and how the members will fight, rebut and get through the controversies. Japneet Singh, a co-organizer and a final year student of PCTE said that the opening speaker, the Prime Minister defines the motion and its interpretations in the first seven minutes, and if it is not contended by the opposition, then the entire debate continues on the definition and interpretation offered.

Yatin Garg, also an avid debater at PCTE said it was surprising to see how the debaters not only restricted the topic to the motion defined, but took it to the multitude perspectives. He expounded that The sun is sinking in the west was not only a reference to the present recession in the West, but also to negative population growth in European nations, and to cultural lags between the oriental and the occidental world, etc.

Dr. Kang informed that the debate was a four step affair, played by Knock out league pattern. Teams will graduate to Quarter finals by 27th afternoon, and then to Semi-finals by 28th morning, and end into at the finals on the same afternoon.