UMaT Emerges National Debate Champions
The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa has been crowned champions of the NATIONAL JAWJAW DEBATE COMPETITION.
The competition which commenced in 2009 with thirty two (32) tertiary institutions in the country, including the University Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, University of Cape Coast, University of Education-Wiinneba, University for Development Studies and the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), was under the auspices of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS).
The topic for the debate was “Funding of higher education is the responsibility of the government.” The UMaT team which debated for the motion was led by Eyram Tettevi (principal speaker), Amadu Rasheed (1st supporting speaker) and Atia Ishmael Ayisebila (2nd Supporting Speaker).
The UMaT team beat their counterparts from the University of Education Winneba by pulling 237.6 points out of 300 whilst UEW team pulled 230.1. The topic for the contest was “The media has failed in its role as the fourth estate of the realm”.
This victory qualified them to the one-sixteenth stage of the competition where the team contested with KNUST on the Great Debate of Africa “That the Union Government NOW is the panacea to African Unity”.
Defending the topic at the Conference room of the Commonwealth Hall University of Ghana, UMaT succeeded in beating KNUST with a score of 235 points as against the 232 points obtained by their opponents.
The Northern Giants (UDS) after their triumph over the University of Ghana were automatically pegged against the Miners for the one-eighth stage of the competition to debate the motion ‘Drivers are the main cause of Road Accidents in the country’. Though prepared to speak against the motion scheduled at the Great Hall of the University of Cape Coast, the team from the University for Development Studies failed to turn up and UMaT was automatically declared winners.
The miners thus graduated to the semi-final stage when they locked horns with the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ). The contest took place at the University of Ghana Accra City Campus on 15th April, 2010 on the motion ‘The bond of 1844 set the tone for Ghana’s independence and not the activities of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the Big Six’. Guided by the unflinching desire to uplift the image of their young university, the superb display of gallantry by team UMaT was enough to show the journalists the exit at such a crucial stage of the competition. They pulled 101.5/120 points as against 98/120 for GIJ. They therefore won the slot for the grand finale.
The grand finale was indeed a fierce contest between UMaT and Christian Services University College, Kumasi. It was held at the main Auditorium of the Common Wealth Hall (UG). The day for the contest coincide with the National Students’ Day celebrations on May this year.
Amidst cheers from the crowd, the debaters thrilled the packed auditorium with wonderful exchanges on the motion ‘That Funding of higher education is the responsibility of government’. The forty minutes of heated Jaw-Jaw Session left the audience confused as to which of the two sides was going win the contest.
However, from the cumulative results, UMaT obtained 84 per cent as against 81 per cent for Christian Services University College of Kumasi.
UMaT was crowned the National Champions of the Premier National Jaw-Jaw Debate Competition and the awards are to be presented on July 24th, this year at the NUGS Dinner and Awards Night to climax the NUGS year.
The UMaT team displaying one of the shields they won in the preliminary stages of the competition. (from L-R: Amadu Rasheed, Tettevi Eyram & Atia Ishmael)