Did you go to school and college, where when you had a debate, the faculty member gave you a topic and said, “You are speaking FOR or AGAINST”. So, you went home collected data, wrote a perfect speech and went in on the destined date and basically delivered a speech in a declamation of sorts, where nothing was really argued or discussed, and you thought that that was Debate???
Well, that era is over. PCTE Group of Institute is into fifth year of holding what is typical called “British Parliamentary Debate”, and is practiced in most developed nations across the globe, including US, Europe and Australia as the common debating pattern and championships.
Harpreet K Kang, Deputy Dean, PCTE Group of Institutes, who introduced this event in the city to PCTE and several schools across the city, said, “This year, 35 teams from outside Ludhiana are coming to compete in one of the most stiff competitions at PCTE, which is carrying out this activity in collaboration with Ludhiana Management Association, now coined as, “Dr. D R Memorial British Parliamentary Debate”. She told that the there was a lot of excitement in the campus and the students were geared for Season III. Ms. Kang added that best of teams from NIRMA, Ahmedabad, FMS, Banaras Hindu University, National Law University, Lucknow, Welingkar, Mumbai, and many others were going to fight it out in the next three days. She said it was a knock out league debate which will go on from 16th to 18thFebruary.
PCTE students do not compete in the event butorganize, and help in adjudication. Dr. K N S Kang, Vice President, LMA and Director General, PCTE Group of Institutes added that the debate had set an entirely new culture in how students think, because they have to be well read enough, and be able to think of their feet in order to win the debate. She said no more the old system of learning prepared speeches can last the students in todays era, where they have to be street smart to either do a job or initiate a business.
Shruti Sharma, A faculty member at PCTE, and the event coordinator said it is amazing to notice how people use to ask, “What is a British Parliamentary Debate?” when we called up any of the colleges pan-India 5 years back, and calls usually were more of an awareness campaign, but today, PCTE has been able to spread this culture not only to the city, but also to India at large, because we get a better response to our efforts with each passing year.
