By Editor
Students from Lagos State’s six education districts on Friday began the quest for honours at the maiden Lagos Schools Debate Competition (LSDC), a three-day academic contest in Lagos.
Speaking, the Convener, Bukunmi Babatunde, a lawyer, said the initiative, organised in collaboration with DebateChamps and Harvard Debate Council (USA), aimed at expanding Nigerian students’ international debate exposure and participation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the competition is holding at British International Junior School, Victoria Island, bringing together qualified schools drawn from all six education districts.
Babatunde said that the LSDC was a platform designed to promote critical thinking, public speaking and policy analysis skill, irrespective of students’ departments in school.
According to her, this initiative marks only the beginning of a larger vision to develop globally competitive Nigerian students through consistent training, exposure, mentorship, and structured debate opportunities nationwide.
“We are bridging the gap between Nigerian students and the international debate space through structured training, exposure, and consistent engagement with global standards of argumentation.”
The convener noted that Nigerian students remain underrepresented in global debate circuits in spite of strong intellectual capacity, creativity, and academic potential across secondary and tertiary education institutions nationwide.
She said that many students depended heavily on memorised content, limiting their ability to respond critically, adapt arguments, and engage effectively during impromptu debate challenges.
In her remark, the Co-Convener, Dr Halimat Usman, emphasised deeper student engagement beyond memorisation, encouraging analytical reasoning, structured thinking, and active participation in debate preparation and discussions.
Usman noted that the partnership with Havard Debate Council was significant, describing it as strategic, given its experience in training and coaching national debate teams for international competitions across multiple countries.
“True debate excellence begins when preparation meets pressure, requiring students to think critically, respond intelligently, and defend ideas beyond memorised content under real competition conditions.
“LSDC serves as both a training and talent scouting platform designed to identify, nurture, and prepare outstanding students for national and international debate representation opportunities,” she added.
Earlier, Mrs Funmilayo Babatunde, Mother of the Convener, described the day as one of her happiest moments, expressing gratitude for the initiative, support received, while expressing confidence for a successful programme outcome.
“I am deeply grateful for this opportunity, proud of my daughter, and thankful to everyone supporting her vision. This is a true commitment and evidence of their passion in bringing Nigerian children to the global level of such competitions.” she added.
The organisers called for stronger support from government, schools, parents, and private institutions to expand debate education access and improve students’ intellectual development nationwide.
They reaffirmed plans for national expansion, African competitions, recorded training sessions, and continuous mentorship programmes aimed at producing globally competitive student debaters.