A SPIRITED debating competition was on Thursday held at the Baramita Primary School as part of Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary activities.The competition, which saw students competing diligently, was the first ever staged in Baramita, a remote hinterland community located in Region One – Barima-Waini. The two topics debated were: “Teenage Pregnancy” and “Mining is Beneficial for Baramita Village.”
The opposing team won the debate on “Teenage Pregnancy” and the proposing team won the debate on “Mining is Beneficial for Baramita Village.”
Trophies were sponsored by the Regional Education Department, Región One and book prizes were donated by the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs and the Ministry of Education.
The debates were of a high standard, according to Regional Executive Officer Virgil Ferreira, who observed that this surprised not only parents and teachers, but even the judges.
The judges were Ronald Robertson M.D., Sergeant Natoya Benjamin and Eustace Smith, Executive Member of the Community Teachers Association, who all commended the debaters for their impressive performance.
Baramita was recently highlighted negatively in the media because of the many cases of suicides, trafficking in persons (TIP) and teenage pregnancies. However, the debating session indicates a positive sign that the youths of Baramita are now looking at the brighter side of life, Ferreira said.