Feature

Thematic Debate Workshop 2009 by Bangladesh School of Debate (BSD) CU Chapter

Tabassum Mokhduma

A month-long Thematic Debate Workshop was held for the students of University of Chittagong (CU) on 21 March-28 April, 2009. Bangladesh School of Debate (BSD) CU Chapter organized this mega event at the Department of Marketing, CU. This annual event of BSD-CU Chapter was supported by Bangladesh School of Debate (BSD) while Star Campus, the weekly supplement of The Daily Star was the media partner. More than a hundred of selected CU students from different disciplines took part in this unique workshop.

Professor S. M. Salamatullah Bhuiya, Chairman, Department of Marketing Studies and International Marketing, CU inaugurated the workshop as the Chief Guest of the launching ceremony while Mr. Fuad Hasan, Director, BSD and Assistant Professor of Marketing, CU and Advocate M. Saiful Abedin, Chairperson, BSD were present as the special guests. Dr. Abdullah Al Faruque, Moderator, BSD-CU Chapter and Chairman, Department of Law, CU chaired the launching session. Mohammad Mozammel Ali Chowdhury, President and Tanzir Zaman, General Secretary of BSD CU Chapter also spoke on the occasion. Professor Bhuiya in his speech stressed on the use of debate as a tool of effective communication in this competitive world. “Debate has established itself as a very important instrument through which one can not only make oneself heard but also make others ponder over the very same thing carefully”, he observed. He had also mentioned that this workshop was going to be the only example of its type what will certainly enhance the participants' thirst to know more about different debatable issues besides widening their knowledge base. The other speakers also opined that the workshop was covering lots of issues of the versatile horizon of knowledge and attempting to contribute in the reestablishment of the core purpose of debating that is carrying evolutionary thoughts over time.

This workshop included thirty five business sessions covering the all time important issues like Globalization and Global Trade & Commerce; Human Rights; International Law; Constitution and Government Systems; Political Thoughts; Philosophical Thoughts; Social Thoughts; Environmental Concern and Related Issues; Micro, Macro & Development Economics Basic Concepts; Intellectual Property; Report Writing, Presentation and Managing Relation with Press; Access to Information Realities, Expectation and Limitation; Scope & Prospect of ICT and e-Governance: Bangladesh Perspective; Consumer Behavior, Culture & Consumerism; Leadership Development; Arts and Aesthetics; Local Government System; International Relationships and Foreign Policy of Bangladesh. Besides, the work-plan included skill development of debaters by conducting sessions on Theoretical Framework of, Reasoning-Counter Reasoning and Script Development for Debate; Different Formats of Debate; Pronunciation and Presentation etc.

BSD-CU Chapter also managed a very rich group of resource persons by pooling many renowned academicians and practitioners from concerned fields of study and practice to facilitate the planned sessions. Of them, the notables were Dr. M. Shah Alam, Dr. Mohammad Al-Amin, Mr. Tayub Chowdhury, Dr. Mst. Dilruba Khanam, Dr. Abdullah Al Faruque, Mr. S. M. Monirul Hasan, Mr. Mohammad Ali Azgar Chowdhury, Mr. Jahed Ali Chowdhury (Juboraj), Mr. Md. Alamgir, Mr. Fuad Hasan, Mr. Shahabuddin Neepu, Mr. Md. Kamal Uddin, Mr. Md. Refayet Alam, Mr. A. G. M. Niaz Uddin, Mr. A M Nasir Uddin, Advocate M. Saiful Abedin and Mr. Prabir Barua Chowdhury Shiplu.

At the end of the workshop the participants were provided with feedback through different modes of evaluation including group presentations, debates, MCQ test, attendance and a thesis paper.