Islamabad, JUN 17 /DNA/ – King Edward Medical University (KEMU), Lahore and the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad have respectively won the Urdu and English debate contests in the National Round of Pakistan Universities Debating Championship 2021-22.
The National and final round of the Championship was held at Higher Education Commission (HEC) Secretariat, following the regional rounds held earlier in five regions of the country, including Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and ICT/AJK/Gilgit-Baltistan.
The event was also marked by Prize Distribution Ceremony for the winners of the Independence Day Competition in four categories, viz. Poetry (English), Poetry (Urdu), Painting, and Videography.
The winners of the Debating Championship and the Independence Day Competition were awarded shields and cash prizes. The first position holders won cash prizes of Rs. 100,000, while the second and third position holders received Rs. 75,000 and Rs. 50,000 respectively.
In the National Round of Pakistan Universities Debating Championship, Gomal University, Peshawar clinched second position in the Urdu debate, followed by Dow University of Health Sciences, Lahore which secured third position. Similarly, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi clinched the second position in the English debate, while University of Balochistan won the third position.
As for the Independence Day Competition, Ms. Sanniyah Eman grabbed the first position in English Poetry; Ms. Arshiyah Sohaib and Ms. Asma won the second and third positions respectively. In the category of Urdu poetry category, Mr. Asif Ali, Mr. Ahmed Saeed Chaudhary and Mr. Ihtisham Mubarak secured the first, second and third positions respectively.
In the Painting category, Ms. Hadia Javed secured the first position; Ms. Fatimah Shakir secured the second position; and Ms. Fatima Ahmed won the third position. In Videography category, Javed Hussain won the first position; Ms. Adeel Fatima got the second position; and Mr. Bakhtiyar Ahmed remained on the third position.
Addressing the participants, Acting Chairperson and Executive Director HEC Dr. Shaista Sohail said that Pakistani youth have great potential and capabilities. She said that the youth bulge is a blessing for the country, however, there is a need for honing the talent of Pakistani youth. She advised the students to work hard and equip themselves with knowledge and skills essential to meet the future challenges.
Addressing the closing ceremony, Adviser (Coordination) HEC Mr. Awais Ahmed congratulated the winning teams and underlined that the ability to convey one’s viewpoint and communicate is a blessing that helps in every stage of life and at all kinds of fora.
Highlighting the significance of poetry, painting and videography, he said that the skills of poets, painters and videographers help them convey broad concepts and messages in a short span of time. He advised the students to practice tolerance and patience in their academic career as well as in the rest of their lives.
Adviser Academics HEC Engr. Muhammad Raza Chohan underscored the vital role of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities in the personality uplifting of students. He asserted that HEC not only upholds quality of higher education and research in the universities but also encourages the higher education institutions to carry out healthy extra-curricular activities.
Chohan said that HEC held the Pakistan Universities Debating Championship 2021-22 on a parliamentary style of debating in order to train the youth in the art of persuading and becoming successful speakers having technical proficiency and eloquence.=DNA
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