Santo Domingo.- The Director of Student Participation and Leadership of the Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic, Gerand Ventura, stated that the V National Debate Championship constitutes a platform to strengthen critical thinking, democratic coexistence, and a culture of dialogue among students in the Dominican public education system.
During an interview granted to De Último Minuto, Ventura explained that the championship represents “a dream come true” for thousands of young people, who have the opportunity to test their analysis, argumentation, and leadership skills.
“We are celebrating today the 5th National Debate Championship, a dream come true for the students of the Dominican public school system, in which they put to the test the development of their critical thinking skills, tolerance, democratic coexistence, and, above all, the development of a democratic culture of debate in the Dominican Republic,” he/she expressed.
The official indicated that expectations for this edition are high, due to the level demonstrated by the teams that managed to advance from the regional competitions.
“The teams we have competing are truly high-level. They won the regional tournaments and will be facing each other in six rounds of debate to define who will qualify for the grand final,” he explained.
Ventura highlighted that the national champions will have the responsibility of representing the Dominican Republic at the World Schools Debate Championship, the next edition of which will be held in Bulgaria, becoming ambassadors of the talent and academic preparation of Dominican students.
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When referring to the results obtained since the creation of the championship, he assured that the initiative has contributed to training young people with greater analytical capacity, social commitment, and civic values.
“We have seen students with much more developed critical thinking, with a greater attachment to society, better democratic coexistence, and important civic values. That is precisely what the Dominican educational system needs to build the country of the future,” he maintained.
Ventura explained that reaching the national championship involves a rigorous preparation process. Students first participate in regional tournaments and, after qualifying, they receive three months of training, mentoring, and practice debates that allow them to strengthen their skills before facing the national competition.
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Although he avoided revealing the motions that will be debated as they are confidential information until the moment of each round, he announced that they cover a wide variety of topics of national and international interest, including economy, politics, society, culture, and artificial intelligence.
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Finally, the director of the Student Leadership Program assured that one of the aspects that impresses him most about the championship is the speed with which the young people develop solid and structured arguments.
“What surprises me most is the students’ ability to build ideas and arguments in a very short time. That shows that the Dominican Republic has an enormous intellectual future and a generation of young people who are clear about the nation they want to build,” he concluded.
The V National Debate Championship, which begins this Friday, brings together students from the country’s 18 educational regions and is part of the Ministry of Education’s initiatives to strengthen leadership, communication, critical thinking, and civic participation skills in public educational centers.
