Extending its holistic educational experience beyond the classroom, the Community College of Qatar (CCQ), Qatar’s fastest-growing educational institution, recently hosted QatarDebate’s 1st Qatar Universities Debate League (QUDL) in Arabic for the 2018-2019 season, at its C-Ring Campus. The competition witnessed the participation of students representing CCQ, Qatar University, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and Qatar Foundation.
The tournament kicked off at 9:30 am and went for three debate rounds where all participating teams had a chance to compete, before crowning the league winners. The rounds discussed three thought-provoking topics; “The Council will prevent first world countries from attracting competencies in third world countries”; “The council will not take punitive action against soldiers for war crimes as long as they received orders”; and “The council will seize vacant lots in residential or commercial areas”.
Students representing CCQ in the tournament were Fatma Abdul Shaheed, Mariam Allangawi, Aljazi Al-Korbi, Meera Alishaq, Abdullah Abdul Shaheed, Abdullah Al-Dari, Abdulaziz Al-Ansari, and Hasan Hmoud.
Commenting on the occasion, CCQ’s Dean Dr. Abdallah Hazaimeh, said:
“At CCQ, we are honored to be hosting QUDL for the first time in collaboration with QatarDebate Center, and we firmly stand behind the message this event aims to spread as well as the Centre’s relentless pursuit of preparing and nurturing the future leaders of the nation. There are some important life lessons we believe the participating teams will walk away with today, complemented by three key skills this debate tournament highlights – self-confidence, leadership, and team spirit. We can personally identify with these skills at CCQ, as without them we couldn’t have achieved the remarkable growth we enjoy today since the College first opened its doors in 2010. This is why we are always keen on having meaningful interaction with our future leaders, and we wish the best to all participating teams.”
Echoing the Dean’s remarks, Amnah Al-Azzah, CCQ Debate Club Chair, said:
“Our Club unites students from various backgrounds and academic disciplines, who bring a broad range of perspectives to the table. The club inspires members to think outside the box and helps take their intellectual and interpersonal skills to the next level. This not only benefits them in their studies but also in their personal and professional lives. We would like to thank QatarDebate for bringing this productive-yet-fun event to the country’s college students, and we are extremely proud of the effective participation of our Debate team in this prized competition.”
QatarDebate Centre, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Education and Community Development (QF) and the national debating organization for Qatar, aims to shape the global citizens of today and the intellectual leaders of tomorrow in Qatar and the region, through the delivery of diverse events and functions in English and Arabic centered on the use of debate, open dialogue and discussion as effective academic and personal development skills amongst secondary and university students.
This year’s first edition of QUDL in Arabic, one of the Centre’s premier nationwide events, witnessed the first-time participation of CCQ’s Debate Club in the coveted competition. The Club features a distinguished group of CCQ students aspiring to spread a culture of constructive dialogue.
Through a number of activities held throughout the year, the Club highlights the importance of sound persuasion skills and the use of logical sequences, as well as the importance of expanding knowledge to ensure a sound intellectual and cultural exchange. In turn, this underlines the role of debate in raising awareness in the community and promotes openness to others. In parallel, the debate team’s experiences serve as an incentive for peers to take part in effective community engagement through their participation in such cultural-exchange activities.
