DGHS win KZN leg of debating competition

LOCAL lasses from Durban Girls High School did their school and the KZN province proud when they won the Provincial leg of the 2014 SAASTA National Debates Competition on Monday and will go through to the nationals in December where a surprise grand prize is up for grabs.

The school will represent the province at the national final in Johannesburg on Thursday, 4 December where they will compete against the eight other provincial winners.

The debating competition aims to encourage young people to address key issues around science and technology that are faced by their communities, through the medium of debate. Conceived and hosted by the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA), a business unit of the National Research Foundation, the programme seeks to foster the confidence to speak about science in high school students from Grade 9 to 11. It also gives participants the opportunity to develop research, critical thinking and information literacy skills, as well as the ability to work as a team to present logical, clear arguments.

The 60 participating schools in the Regional Finals were chosen by SAASTA on the basis of their winning essays.

“It is well known that the development of science, engineering, technology and innovation has a distinct bearing on overall economic development of any country,” said Dr. Jabu Nukeri, Managing Director of SAASTA. “In order to solve our country's deep and pressing socio-economic challenges, South Africa needs skills to help the country compete internationally, grow economically and to generally improve the lives of its citizens. SAASTA's goal is to steer young South African minds towards careers in science, engineering, technology and innovation.”

The teams progress can be followed during their provincial finals on Twitter @SAASTADebates or facebook www.facebook.com/SAASTADebates