The NESTA-SCMP Debating Competition

The NESTA-SCMP Debating Competition (NSDC) holds a number of advantages for NSS, for students, for teachers and for schools.

Introduction: The NSDC offers a bridge towards NSS Debating, it provides another way to add value by enriching the EMI credentials of a school and can link smoothly with NSS themes covered in Social Issues and Pop Culture Modules. The main focus of the Competition is on skills building rather than on competing itself.

Overview: From its humble beginnings in 2000, the NSDC has grown to become Hong Kong’s largest English-language debating competition. The Competition runs throughout the year and can be divided into two parts. The first part from January to June is mainly for skills building, while the second from September to March is for the elimination rounds. Regular debate coverage in SCMP’s Young Post helps students follow the progress.

The Competition allows students to stretch their content and language developed in NSS Social Issues and Pop Culture Modules through debates with matched teams from S.1 to 7 as well as through workshops for both students and teachers. In addition to the syllabus-related value adding benefits gained through NSDC activities, students can also acquire the skills of persuasion and negotiation, which are necessary in the wider world of international workplace English.

For NSS: As most secondary schools have opted for modules other than NSS Debating, the NSDC allows students to gain important exposure to debating to confidently tackle debating-related DSE questions and have one more exam option to choose from.

For Students: The NSDC provides students with an activity to build confidence and skills of negotiating persuasively, which has obvious flow-on benefits for SBA presentations and discussions. Those with debating experience also serve as additional English Ambassadors in class and school activities to enrich the English learning atmosphere. As well, the team matching in earlier rounds of the Competition helps ensure that all students irrespective of form or school level get a good chance to steadily gain confidence and skills through at least 3 debate rounds over at least 5 months each year. By joining the NSDC, students also have access to information about a wider range of workshops and debates in other local and international competitions to help stretch their skills still further when they are ready to take the next steps.

For teachers: The NSDC allows both local teachers and NETs to contribute a broader range of content and language extensions in areas not fully covered by the syllabus. In a number of cases, NETs and local teachers are team-coaching debaters in our Competition to provide the best of both worlds approach.

Entering a Team in the 13th Competition:

Ask your teacher to contact the NSDC Coordinator Stan Dyer at debating@nesta.hk, giving school name, address and form level/s of debaters. You don’t have to provide debaters’ names as new debaters can be used for each debate if desired. 

Looking forward to hearing from you

Stan Dyer
NESTA-SCMP Debating Coordinator