Indian teens bag prizes in International Debate Championship

Jyena Surya and Sanvi Pyasi from Mumbai and Jabalpur respectively recently bagged two titles at the second volume of PlanetSpark’s “International Debate Championship”. The mega competition ran for 4 weeks before its Finale was held on April 2. Over 650 children from 13 countries across North America, the Middle East and South-East Asia demonstrated their debating skills to claim the championship title in two categories, i.e., Senior (3^rd-6^th grade) and Super Senior (7^th-12^th grade).

The winners were granted with a cash reward of Rs 10,000 and a certificate of recognition. Additionally, participants were also evaluated on parameters such as Speech, Research and Articulation, for which the titles of “Best Researcher” and “Articulation Master” were given on merit.

The competition welcomed participation from both PlanetSpark students and non-students. To encourage participation from students outside PlanetSpark, the EdTech collaborated with renowned schools such as Saint Kabir Gurukul, Jaladabad; Delhi World Public School, Ajmer; Cambridge Court World School, Jaipur; G.D. Salwan Public School, New Delhi; and Delhi International School Edge, New Delhi, among others. Participants went through a series of selection rounds wherein they displayed world-class Presentation Skills, Creativity, Debating Skills, and Spontaneity. The screening process also included Impromptu Rounds and a “Qualifier Quiz”.

Speaking on her victory and debating skills, 13-year-old Sanvi Pyasi said, “My enthusiasm for debating originated from my enrollment in PlanetSpark’s Debating Club. It is here that I learned and practised the art of debating and developed it into one of my strongest suits. I feel empowered as this skill has made me capable of logical thinking, processing, and countering one’s arguments, in a prompt manner. I feel extremely gratified having won the coveted title of “International Debate Champion” at PlanetSpark’s International Debate Championship.”

This mega competition hosted by PlanetSpark saw participation from over 10 schools. The EdTech honoured Jaipur’s Cambridge Court World School with the title of the “Best Performing School”, as three of its students reached the Semi-Finals and one of them also made it to the Finale and won the title of “Best Researcher”.

During the competition, children gave an excellent demonstration of skills such as Public Speaking, Creativity, Logical Thinking, and Presentation. These are amongst the core 21^st-Century Skills that we focus on and in that sense, this championship was also a huge validation of everything that PlanetSpark stands for, as an EdTech,” said PlanetSpark Co-founder, Kunal Malik.