Two public school students win international English debate competition

(Dan Tri) - Mai Phong Hai and Le Phong Linh - two students of Nguyen Truong To Secondary School, Hanoi - surpassed nearly 30 contestants from international schools to win the English debate competition.

Mai Phong Hai, grade 9, and Le Phong Linh, grade 8, participated in the Vietnam International Public Forum Championship 2024 (VIPFC) English debate competition in the high school category, competing with older students.

According to international practice, a team with only 1 member in grade 9 will be considered at high school level.

Mai Phong Hai and Le Phong Linh at the debate competition (Photo: Hoang Hong).

Passing the qualifying rounds, the couple Hai - Linh played the final match with two female students of grade 10 from Olympia School.

In a public forum format, using a single theme throughout, "Single-use plastic bags should be banned," Hai and Linh were tasked with presenting arguments in support of banning plastic bags. Meanwhile, their opponents took an opposing stance.

Hai said the topic sounds easy but is actually very difficult. Because supporting or opposing is one-sided, while this issue requires multi-dimensional perspectives and behaviors.

"The requirement of the "public forum" debate format is that the teams must convince their opponents to agree with their point of view. After the competition, I was both confident and disappointed because I was also convinced by my opponents," Hai confided.

In the 3 debates, Hai and Linh impressed with their ability to speak English fluently, their use of figurative words, and their strong, expressive speaking style.

Although studying at a public school, the two male students demonstrated outstanding language skills and time management during the "argumentation".

Mai Phong Hai on the debate stage (Photo: Hoang Hong).

The arguments that Hai and Linh presented convinced the judges with many authentic examples and rich, new information.

When opponents objected to the ban on plastic bags on the grounds that it would impact vulnerable groups in society as well as healthcare activities - where single-use plastic bags cannot be replaced for health benefits and infection prevention, Linh confidently responded with an understanding of macro policies.

“If you really care about the common good of the community, we should really stop using plastic bags.

We should stop using plastic bags now, while the global economy is still stable and climate change is still under control. Stop using plastic bags, there is hope for the future.

When compared to the opposition team’s solution, we believe that our solution still brings more benefits. This is demonstrated by the fact that governments are still promoting forest plantations to increase the production of environmentally friendly paper bags.

In addition, I would like to pose a question to your group: What evidence proves that plastic bags cannot be replaced in the medical field?", Linh said.

This argument is also considered the key to the victory of Mai Phong Hai and Le Phong Linh.

Hai and Linh both attended private schools before transferring to Nguyen Truong To Secondary School in Dong Da District, Hanoi. Because the school only runs half a day, they have more time for extracurricular activities and sports.

Linh's mother said that Linh plays soccer twice a week and swims twice a week.

The two boys studied with the same debate coach and have participated in many debate tournaments since they were young. This was their first time trying out the "public forum" format, after about two months of practice.

Almost 100% of Hai and Linh's opponents were students from international schools who used English as a second language. However, Hai said he was not nervous or anxious before the competition because he was confident in his English ability and his team's preparation for the content related to the topic.

The goal of this year's 9th grade male student is to pass the entrance exam to the 10th grade English major.

Two male students on the podium receiving the championship award (Photo: Quynh Trang).

Standing in the runner-up position of the high school category, after Mai Phong Hai and Le Phong Linh, are Le Linh Chi and Nguyen An Khanh - 10th grade students of the IB program, Olympia High School.

In the secondary school category, the Gold Prize winners were Do Minh Ngoc - grade 8, Nguyen Trai Secondary School, and Nguyen Huu Anh Khoa, grade 8, Dewey School. Both students are from Hanoi.

Vietnam International Public Forum Championship 2024 is the first English debate tournament under the "public forum" rule (open debate, using a single topic throughout the rounds) in the North, taking place on November 9 at the Olympia Inter-level School Theater.

The tournament had the participation of more than 160 contestants from 35 high schools. The contestants went through 3 rounds including preliminary, quarter-final and semi-final to select the 2 best teams of high school group and 6 best teams of middle school group to enter the final.

Not only do they need to argue tightly with convincing evidence to defend their point of view, through each round, the teams also have to adjust their tactics and absorb perspectives from their opponents and judges to supplement their understanding of the topic, thereby best preparing for the final debate.

Sitting on the judging panel is coach Hyewon - head coach of the Vietnamese team participating in the World High School Debating Championship.

VIPFC is organized with the aim of allowing students to raise their voices and share their ideas with the community, thereby raising awareness and joining hands to promote initiatives for a more sustainable, better world.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/hai-hoc-sinh-truong-cong-vo-dich-cuoc-thi-tranh-bien-tieng-anh-quoc-te-20241109222435129.htm