KU student wins British High Commission’s Karachi debate contest

The British High Commission’s annual GREAT Debate competition continued with a fourth semi-final event at the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) in Karachi, a press release said on Wednesday.

The event brought together debaters from universities and colleges in Karachi. After a competitive round of fixtures, Hafsa Tahir from the University of Karachi and Areeba Ahmed from the Dow University of Health Sciences were judged to be the winner and runner-up respectively.

UK Deputy High Commissioner Karachi and Trade Director for Pakistan Elin Burns said: “The youth of this country is its greatest asset and they are the ones that will become the nation’s future leaders, influencers and opinion formers.

“We launched the GREAT debate competition in 2015 to engage these people -- honing their skills, building their confidence and showcasing their potential through the medium of debate. “Last year the winner and runner-up of the overall competition were from Karachi and I am confident that this year again debaters from this fantastic city will put in a strong performance in the grand finale.”

The GREAT Debate 2017 is the third annual edition of the competition that gives students a platform to participate in debates, interact with other students from different universities and hone their skills in research, analytical thinking and public speaking.

Winners and runner-ups from the semi-finals will be given one-year British Council digital library memberships. The winner and runner-up of the overall competition will receive a scholarship reward to contribute towards their tuition fees.

The GREAT Debate is a debating competition for university students. There will be seven semi-finals in seven cities (Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Gujarat, Faisalabad and Mirpur) involving students from over 50 leading universities across Pakistan -- and the winner and runner-up of each semi-final will compete in the final in Islamabad.