Debate & Oratory at Home and Abroad

The ACJC Debate and Oratorical Society has flourished in the face of adversity- the shifting of debating competitions onto Zoom has allowed for a plethora of opportunities to debate teams from across the globe. In the first few months of 2022 alone, our debaters have done us proud at home and abroad.

NUS Political Association Debate Series 2022

On the 20th and 21st February, ACJC sent a team of debaters to compete in NUSPA Debate Series 2022, organised by NUS Political Association. The team persevered against other Junior Colleges over the span of 3 Preliminary Rounds. Despite the tough competition, the team managed to emerge as the 3rd breaking team, with 3 wins.

The team continued to put up a good fight in the out-rounds. However, lost in the Semi-Finals against Raffles Institution. We are very proud of our debaters, Abhi (ranked 7th), Kezia (ranked 12th- tied), Alexandra (ranked 12th- tied), Faayiza, and Shakir.

Our Debaters at the NUSPA Debate Series 2022

Due to their commendable performance in the tournament, the team was invited to attend a Fireside Chat with the Minister of Education, Mr Chan Chun Sing, on 4th March. They were given the opportunity to interact with Minister Chan, voicing their opinions and concerns for Singapore’s governmental structures and education system. It was a very insightful and enjoyable experience that the team was honoured to be a part of. They would like to thank the school, teachers and of course their coach, Sam for all the support they have received.

International Competitions
The Debate and Oratorical Society have also been flying the College flag high internationally.

From 18th to 19th February 2022, a team of ACJC debaters participated in the China High School Debate Championship (CHSDC), doing our club proud as they fought hard against established national teams. We are grateful to the organisers of CHSDC for this opportunity to hone the skills of our members through competing against extremely accomplished under-18 debaters. Elton Lee, Jade Sun, Brian Matthew, Shem Koh, and Yusra Ismeth won 3 out of 6 rounds, facing national delegations from Vietnam and South Africa in fulfilling and educational debates.

This was followed by the Asia Universities Debating Championship (AUDC) on the 26th and 27th of February. AUDC is an Asian Parliamentary tournament, letting our debaters put their skills to the test in a format novel to them. Breaking 3rd and making it to quarterfinals, the team learnt a lot from this tournament. The team consisted of Raphael Tandiono (ranked 7th), Shakir Zufairie (ranked 13th), and Alexandra Scholefield (ranked 2nd).

From Asia our debaters turned their eyes and oratory to even more far-flung opportunities. On the 25th and 26th of February, our ACJC debaters participated in the Tournament of Champions (TOC), a WSDC format competition with a plethora of countries represented. We are grateful for the opportunity to send debaters to tournaments that expose them to a variety of people and worldviews. TOC let our seasoned debaters compete against teams from all across the globe, with the team, consisting of Jerry Tan, Elton Lee, Jade Sun, Glennis Tan, and Bernard Lau, giving their all over 5 preliminary rounds, 3 of which they won.

We are proud of our debaters’ achievements, both at home and the international stage and look forward to an eventful year to come.

To God be the Glory, the Best is Yet to Be!

Zainab Faayiza

President of ACJC Debate and Oratorical Society