Peaceland College Enugu to represent Africa at Commonwealth Inter-Tertiary Debating competition in UK
The Peaceland College of Education, Enugu Nigeria is to represent Africa at the Commonwealth Inter-Tertiary Schools Debating Championship slated for September 2021 in the United Kingdom.
The College qualified for the global championship after emerging winner of the keenly contested championship at the African level held in Abuja.
Participants from Peaceland College won first prize at the preliminary round, National level, African round to qualify as representatives of the African continent at the global level coming up in the United Kingdom by September 2021, where they will compete with six other continents.
Head of Department of English and Literature, Dr. Mrs. Doris Malu, who also heads the institution’s Debate Club, disclosed this while speaking with Journalists in Enugu.
She attributed the rare feat to the immense support and encouragement by the college’s management led by the acting Provost, Rev Fr. Lenard Ilechukwu, acting Deputy Provost, Rev Fr. Felix Ugwozor and the Registrar, Sir Patrick Ugwu, and expressed the determination of the African representatives to make the continent proud at the global championship.
“We are grateful to God and the institution’s management for the successes recorded so far in the qualifying series which is leading us to the Commonwealth Inter-Tertiary Schools Debating championship coming up in United Kingdom in September this year. Our team is fully prepared to face other six competitors at the global event and we shall do everything possible to lift the trophy and make Nigeria and indeed the entire African continent proud,” Mrs Malu said.
Dr. Mrs. Malu thanked the commonwealth of Nations for giving the college the opportunity “to explore and expose our potentials and we are anticipating that both the government, non-profit agencies and well meaning Nigerians would assist us with the resoources needed to successfully represent not only Praceland College Enugu but Nigeria and the entire Africa.”
She, however, solicited the sponsorship of the Federal and State government as well as corporate organizations and public-spirited individuals to enable the team embark on the trip without hitches as the institution alone cannot bear the responsibility.
Speaking on behalf of the debate team, the Chief Speaker, Master Chineke Cajetan Goodluck, said Peaceland College, Enugu Nigeria, had been producing award winning students spanning across fields like Science, Spelling, Mathematics, Debating among others through various clubs of extra curricular activities established by the school since inception.
He said: “It is imperative to note that these awardees have earned several recognitions at the national, continental and global level.
“In 2017, Peaceland College won the Pan African British Parliamentary Debate Open at the University of Callabar while in 2018, it also won the Queens Commonwealth Essay Competition with Gold at the national, Africa and the global level through the assistance of the Head of the Department, Dr. Mrs. Doris Malu and the school management.
“In 2019, the school also won the top performing institution during the Nigeria Students Poetry prize at Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Beyelsa State and in 2020 it won the Bangkok Global Educational Award at the global level beating over five million contestants who took part in the contest and this also attracted ‘Best Institution Award’ to Peaceland College globally.
“In the 2021 championship, Peaceland College of Education was also represented by Chineke Cajetan, Abugu Festus, Okechukwu Amarachi, Ijegalu Stephanie, Kenechukwu Daniel, Obi Victor, Ibekwe Osinachi and Paul Chibuike. They were led to Abuja by the Head of the Debate Club and Head of Department of English and Literature, Dr. Mrs. Doris Malu to represent Africa at the Commonwealth Inter-tertiary Schools Debating Championship. We won first prize at the preliminary round, National level, African round which qualified us to represent the African continent at the global level in the United Kingdom.”
Continuing, Chineke said: “As the Chief Speaker of this debate group and on behalf of my team members, I am very glad that an opportunity like this came up at least to hear the voices of the youngsters as they contribute to our national development. At least this is a good news for Nigeria, bearing the face of Africa in this competition and we look forward to bringing back the global trophy to our dear country. I strongly believe that an academic challenge of such will go a long way to revitalizing and rejuvenating the educational system of the country.”