Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan students win debating championship in UK

CHENNAI: Arushi Nayar, Akshay Venkataraghavan, Aditi Balaji, Abinaya Raman and K S Adhithya Kumar of Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan, K K Nagar, won the Debating Matters International Final 2014 held in London on October 18.
The debating championship was organised by British Council in partnership with the Institute of Ideas in the UK.
Student participants said the competition was known for its rigorous and intellectually challenging format that valued substance over style.The final round pitted students of PSBB Senior Secondary School, KK Nagar, against their peers from Franklin College of Grimsby, UK.
This year’s debate motion was, “We should be willing to compromise our privacy in the interests of national and international security.”
The Indian students spoke for the motion, while those from Franklin College in the UK spoke against the motion.
The PSBB students had to compete with the best in the country at the national level of the competition, after facing an online elimination round and zonal finals, before heading for the international final round in the UK.