Election of National Chief Adjudicator

We are pleased to announce that Paidamwoyo Mangondo has been reelected as the SASDB National Chief Adjudicator for 2013/2014! We wish him all the best and are confident that he will continue to do outstanding work for the South African debating community.

The application process for DCAs for NSDC 2013 will be opened soon.

UPDATED: National Chief Adjudicator: Call for Applications

Dear all,

We have been informed that due to a communication error, certain areas did not receive the call for applications. The SASDB has therefore decided to reopen applications for one week to ensure the selection process is as fair and inclusive as possible. Please make sure that this call is distributed to your members to aid us in this.

The new deadline for applications is Thursday 12 September. Any applications we have already received will be considered along with any new ones after this deadline.

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The South African Schools Debating Board (SASDB) invites all suitable candidates to apply for the position of National Chief Adjudicator. This is a non-voting position on the National Executive Committee of the SASDB. In this position you will participate in discussions and attend meetings of the NEC of the SASDB.

The Chief Adjudicator who is appointed now will be required to serve a term of approximately one year, i.e. they will be required to serve until around July 2014. According to the constitution of the SASDB, the National Chief Adjudicator shall provide leadership to the Board and the South African debating community on issues pertaining to adjudication, and shall:

  1. Seek to improve the standard of adjudication in South Africa;
  2. Facilitate the accreditation of adjudicators;
  3. Serve as Chief Adjudicator at the NSDC of the year in which they are appointed.

Minimum requirements

A suitable candidate will have at least two years of schools adjudication experience (including 2012), including experience in chairing adjudication panels and adjudicating break rounds. Previous experience in any organizational role, which involved allocating or training judges, or setting and evaluating motions, would be an advantage.

A suitable candidate will also be available to attend the National Schools Debating Championships in Johannesburg from 6-12 December 2013, and will NOT be involved with the coaching of any team attending that competition (but may be involved with the selection of a team or teams).

Applications Process

All complete applications should be emailed to Samantha Dunne at sam.dunne.sasdb@gmail.com. A complete application consists of the following documents:

  1. Your name and contact details
  2. A brief CV indicating your past involvement in debating
  3. The names and contact details (email and phone) of two references who can testify to your character and your ability to fulfil the responsibilities of the Chief Adjudicator’s post
  4. Written answers to any TWO of the following questions (1/2 to 1 pages per question)
  5. What sort of tab system do you think should be used at the NSDC – power pairing, random draw, or pools (if so, what type of pools)?
  6. What factors should be taken into consideration when setting adjudication panels for debates at Nationals?
  7. What model of adjudicator accreditation should be used at NSDC?
  8. How do you ensure that the motions you set are evenly weighted and have enough matter on each side?

Please submit applications on or before Thursday 12 September 2013. No late applications will be accepted. The SASDB reserves the right to change any elements of this procedure should it see fit.

Please email all questions and applications to Samantha Dunne at sam.dunne.sasdb@gmail.com. Please forward this email to anyone else who might be interested in applying for the position.

 Kind regards,

South African Schools Debating Board NEC

1st Asia World Schools Debating Championships

OVER 200 students from nine territories came to Thailand to participate in an international debate tournament. Held under the theme of “It’s Our Turn”, the first Asia World Schools Debating Championship ran from August 1-7 at the Anglo-Singapore International School in Bangkok.

The South African Schools’ Debating Board sent two teams:

South Africa ‘A’ Team 1 (SAA1) consisted of Sam Musker; Emma Buckland; Ilan Malkin and Desmond Fairall. South Africa ‘A’ Team 2 (SAA2) consisted of Kate Dewey; Bettina Buabeng-Baidoo; Laurian Polkinghorne and Amelia Warren. Coaches: Phiwe Salukazana and Christopher Hojem. Adjudicator: Jolandi Swanepoel

Seven preliminary rounds were held for both prepared and impromptu motions. The teams competed in the knock-out debates, which saw Singapore and South Africa duelling in the grand finals on the motion: “This house supports an independent state for the Rohingya”.

Members from both teams presented constructive arguments opposing and proposing the creation of a Rohingya autonomous state, touching on the subjects of persecution, the right to self-determination, sectarian conflict and economic repercussions.  The HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Cup went to Anglo-Chinese Junior College of Singapore.

 Results:

SAA1 broke 10th and made it to the Grand Final and SAA2 broke 5th and made it to the Octo-Final.

All our speakers ranked in the top 30:

  • Ilan Malkin – 3rd
  • Emma Buckland – 5th
  • Bettina Buabeng-Baidoo – 9th
  • Kate Dewey – 11th  
  • Sam Musker – 12th
  • Amelia Warren – 17th
  • Desmond Fairall – 28th
  • Laurian Polkinghorne – 30th

Julie Sutanto, director of schools at Anglo-Singapore International School, said debating was a major tool for communication and discussion in both the local and international arenas. “We want youths to learn the importance of effective communication in various situations and to demonstrate that differences can be resolved through tolerance and understanding. Through debate, students learn to discuss global issues and create a public dialogue in an organised way,” she said.

The next Asia World Schools Debating Championship will be held in Bangkok at the same time next year.

New Provinces Project: trainers needed

This project aims to develop debating in provinces lacking provincial debating structures and experienced organisers, trainers and adjudicators. As part of this project, the SASDB will be running a training programme in Kimberly, Northern Cape on 16 and 17 August.

The SASDB needs your help! We require three trainers for this project. The workshop consists of a basic introduction to debating skills (a training programme developed by the SASDB specifically for this project), a workshop on coaching and organising schools debating aimed at teachers, and some practice debates.

Transport and accommodation will be covered by the SASDB, and there is a R1000 stipend per trainer for this weekend.

If you are interested, please send a debating CV and a brief motivation to sasdbinfo@gmail.com before Saturday 3 August.

Support: Standard Bank Graduates’ Debating Gala and Charity Auction

On Tuesday 6 August, the Standard Bank Graduates will be hosting a Debating Gala and Charity Auction Evening at the Standard Bank Art Gallery on the Corner of Simmonds and Anderson Street in Johannesburg. The aim of this event is to provide much needed financial relief to an over-burdened NPO called the South African Schools Debating Board in order for them to host the SA National Schools Debating Championship in December.

Time – 18:00
Dress – Business Formal
Who – Please purchase a ticket for anyone. All welcome.
Price – R150 per person

Your time and your money will not be wasted! You will have the opportunity to watch a live debate between such fantastic leaders as Lincoln Mali (Head of Rest of Africa for Standard Bank), Peter Vickery (Head of Sales for Rest of Africa and a Harvard Graduate), Audrey Mothupi (Head of Inclusive Banking for SB), Jeff Buckland (Partner at Webber Wentzel) and some interesting other speakers are on the cards. The judges for this debate are Cas Coovadia (Head of the Banking Association of South Africa), Corli Le Roux (Head of the SRI Index for the JSE) and Wendy Ngoma (Dean of Wits Business School). This will all be punctuated by canapés and welcoming drinks with a cash bar available thereafter. Please also note that external people will be able to arrange parking in the bank’s secure parking as long as I have your name in advance.

To buy a ticket please email info@sansdc2013.com we will take it from there. If you order a ticket please do come as this will impact our costs and capacity on the evening.  Looking forward to having you there!