Emmanuela Ilok and Khalid Seriki, students of Greensprings School, have emerged winners of the 2021 KPMG secondary school debate competition.
The two were declared winners of the competition following their outstanding performance at the intense debate sessions on the topic, ‘Which is Better, Onsite or Online Learning?’ and were also given a cash prize of ₦400,000 as well as other exciting prizes for emerging as first prize winners.
They attributed their performance to the exposure Greensprings School afforded them, which enabled to excel despite the unfamiliar structure of the debate session.
Narrating her experience, Emmanuela Ilok, said the debate was in two rounds, and the first round was easier because it allowed them to select either be in favour or against the motion of the debate.
“The unusual was introduced in the second round when we were asked to speak both in favour and against the motion of the debate. In the process, we had to cross-examine participants from other schools, and we were also cross-examined,” Ilok said.
Read also: Nigeria schools to benefit from Airtel Africa, UNICEF $57m partnership for digital learning
With the unexpected dynamics introduced during the second round of the debate, Khalid Seriki credited their victory to being persistent and striving for accuracy that are parts of the ‘habits of mind,’ which is a concept in Greensprings School’s Thinking School philosophy.
He expressed gratitude to all their English teachers, who helped in developing their debating and public speaking skills.
Expressing her happiness, Magdalene Okrikri, principal of Greensprings School, Anthony Campus, lauded the students’ p erformance at each stage of the competition.
“I congratulate my students for working as a team and performing excellently at each stage of the competition. I am highly impressed with their strong communication skill, confidence, and their ability to persist all through the debate sessions. It was a tough competition, and I am proud of their excellent performance,” Okrikri said.
