[Article] 5th BDC Pre-Worlds

The following piece appeared in the Rising Stars (the Daily Star) in December 2008



The 5th BDC Pre-Worlds: Hosted by European Standard School Debate Club
By Faria Ahmed (ex-President)

20^th to 22^nd November 2008, was not another ordinary weekend. At least not for the English debating community of Bangladesh. These three days of frantic debating at the E.S.S. Dhanmondi campus helped to choose the 5(out of 150) debaters who would form “team Bangladesh” at the World School’s Debating championship 2009.

After the 6 compulsory rounds of debating, 16 teams were chosen to enter the Octo-finals, the results of which were announced at the end of a “haunted Halloween” themed disco.  Out of a total of 50 teams, Oxford-1, BIT-1, Scholastica-1 and Manarat-1 made it to the semis, from where BIT and Manarat were chosen finalists.

The finals taking place at the Samarai convention center, in the presence of chief guest, Kazi Aminul Islam, secretary to the chief advisor, people’s Republic of Bangladesh, Prof. Nurul Islam and Mr.ranadev Dasgupta, headmaster and club moderator of ESS respectively, turned out to be the grandest closing pre-world’s had ever experienced.

After the final round of debate, the results were announced by the man without whom going to the Worlds’ would have remained a dream for BD debaters---Mr.Rashedul Hasan Stalin, Chairperson, Bangladesh debating council. The grand trophy went to Bangladesh International tutorial(BIT).

The evening ended with a prize giving ceremony, and a lavish Chinese buffet, and it left all debaters hoping that “Team Bangladesh” would go even further this year to show the World what BD-debaters were all about!!