By Our Staff Reporter
Mussoorie, 21 Nov: Carrying on its legacy of promoting a healthy culture of debate, discussions, critical appreciation and inter-generational connect through debates on topical issues, Valley of Words (VoW) included in its growing ambit of competitors Global Schools Foundation, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti along with Mussoorie’s boarding schools for its National Debate Competition, this season.
In 2021, Oak Grove School, Mussoorie took on the onus of being the technical and presentation partner with VoW and successfully conducted an online debate competition among eighteen participants from the various boarding schools in Mussoorie through three rounds i.e. Quarter-Final, Semi-Final and Final.
Talking about the debate, Dr Dattaram Purohit, Adjunct Professor in the Centre for Folk Performing Arts and Culture, HNBGU, one of the judges of the event says, “There were some students who had tried to read the related material. They had put in efforts to research on the given topics and answered all the questions in an experienced way.”
The Inter-Zone online debate of the schools under Ministry of Railways had thirty-four students from seventeen zones of Indian Railways. The students participated in the Pre-Quarter Final-I and Pre-Quarter Final-II.
Oak Grove School English teacher Anupam Singh, who was entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the debates, adds, “I had an enthralling experience listening to and moderating the speakers in various rounds. Although there had been the pitfall of the poor net connectivity at the speakers’ end and many a time at that of the judges as well but, overall, it was a good experience as the majority of the speakers were well prepared with logical thoughts and supporting data to present their views.”