UZ takes SAYWHAT’s SASI Debate championship

By Kuda Pembere

After claiming the SAYWHAT Quiz Challenge championship, the University of Zimbabwe’s (UZ) thirst for more saw the institution doubling down, to be crowned the Speak And Solve Initiative (SASI) Debate tournament titleholders Friday afternoon following a heated challenge against the Midlands State University (MSU), National University of Science and Technology (NUST) and Chinhoyi University of Technology(CUT).

Trailing the UZ on second position was CUT, with MSU being the second runner up leaving NUST on number four.

UZ took the title from Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) which won the Debate Contest last year.

“I think from my side, I am feeling great. It has been a rollercoaster throughout, and we got to the finals, and I am very happy,” said UZ student Methembe Muthimukulu who was also the best male speaker sensation.

Kimberly Malima who teamed up with Muthimukulu to clinch this much coveted title said she heeds the adjudicators’ comments to improve her oratorical delivery.

“I am also very happy and all I can say is I got to learn a lot and I have been told areas to improve as a speaker,” she said.

Speaking with HealthTimes, SAYWHAT executive director Mr Jimmy Wilford said the debate was centred around public health issues and global goals.

“The competition was meant to give an opportunity to students from various institutions to test their understanding of public health issues. The whole idea was to ask them questions to do with public health.

“This year we were looking at global developments. There are global development agendas that have been set. When you look at the sustainable development goals which came after the Millennium development goals,” he said.

With the world in its 30 years of celebrating the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), students had to outwit each other on the topic.

“This year we are trying to test the young people. The students themselves what they know and understand about these Global development Goals and agendas. This year we are commemorating 30 years after the international conference on population and development, that is the ICPD at 30. So, the young people were being tested on what they understand,” he said.

While it seemed a clash of rhetoric, Mr Wilford clarified the competition was to provide students a chance to exchange their views on various issues.

“These competitions are not meant to pick the winner, like who is the most eloquent, the most intelligent etc. the idea is to find an innovative way of giving an opportunity to read and understand public health issues from various angles.

“Like when you are looking at the Speak and Solve Initiative (SASI) that is how we call the debate, the debate is meant to afford the students with an opportunity to exchange ideas on various phenomena, various topics at hand to deal with global goals.

“There will be a topic on how climate change links with sexual and reproductive health and we hear the young people speaking and debating about that particular topic,” he said.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) country representative to Zimbabwe, Miranda Tabifor in her remarks at the competition commended SAYWHAT for organizing the competition as well as forging young champions pushing and advocating for global goals.

“As we are into the fourth year of the decade of action, I want to applaud SAYWHAT for producing the 7th edition of the SASI debate competition and the continuous efforts to equip young people as agents who can advance the resilience of their communities,” she said.

She noted how students’ creative ideas can help shape a better planet.

“As we gather here today, I am reminded that young people are not passive recipients of the world’s problems, but they are active agents of change. Their innovative ideas, energy and determination demonstrated throughout the challenge shows immense potential within young people to lead the way for a better society.

“The theme for this year’s debate challenge is “Opposing views. Same goal. Unleashing innovative solutions for sustainable development” which emphasizes the development of fresh and creative perspectives to improving people’s lives and health of the planet,” she said.

Tabifor added, “The theme resonates strongly with the principles that the UNFPA supports to advance SDGs for a better healthier, more equitable and more sustainable future. And more so this is because of the UNFPA’s 30th anniversary where we are celebrating 30 years of the ICPD program of action. I am overjoyed to see young people as active architects of 2030 agenda supporting its implementation with the interinstitutional debate battle.”

 

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