Five young Scottish debaters have won the World Schools debating Championship in Cape Town, beating Wales to lift the trophy.
The Scottish team are made up of Charlie Holmes, Alfie Hinchliffe, Josh Richards, Ruth Cameron and April Shepherd who have spent the past fortnight in South Africa debating everything from rural migration to pornography.
Today’s final, chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, with the motion: “This House regrets South Africa’s decision to use the Truth and Reconciliation Commission rather than prosecuting perpetrators of crimes committed under Apartheid.”
The win represents Scotland’s fourth victory in the competition, which began in 1988 in Australia and has since been held yearly across the world. This year’s competition included teams from 48 countries from Argentina to Zimbabwe.
Holmes, Hinchliffe and Richards are all pupils at George Heriot’s School, whilst Cameron is a pupil at Dollar Academy and Shepherd, the High School of Dundee. Cameron Wylie, head of the Senior School at George Heriot’s , says he is “absolutely exuberant and delighted for our boys and the ladies of Dollar and the High School of Dundee.”
Commenting on the win Wylie says: “Given that this has happened the day after Burns Night and 1,000 days away from Scotland making an incredibly difficult political decision, it is wonderful to see young Scots who can engage so articulately and engage with such complex issues. They are proving to the world that Scots young people can be at the forefront of this kind of activity.”
Debating across the UK is supported by the English Speaking Union, and their Head of Speech and Debating in Scotland, Stephen Jamieson, is equally delighted with the result: “This is a very proud moment for Scottish debating as a whole and we hope to continue this success next year. We’re very proud of the Scots.”
Team Scotland are coached by Adam McKinlay and Neil Dewar. McKinlay says of the win that “Not only did they win the final, they gained the support of many new friends from around the world and were great ambassadors for Scotland.”
The debate generated interest with the South African audience as the issue is still culturally sensitive and generates strong opinions. Scotland’s Team Manager, Irene McGrath was there to hear the debate, was proud that “both sides tackled it in a mature and sophisticated way.”
Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Minister, said: "We Scots love a good argument, and it is tremendous to see these talented youngsters exporting this skill to great effect, coming out on top in a championship fought for by representatives of dozens of countries across the globe.
"I know that the Scottish team has an excellent pedigree in this tournament, regularly finishing among the top ranked teams and last winning in 2007. Last year's participants visited me at Bute House and told me all about their third place finish in the event held in Dundee.
"This year's team have surpassed that magnificent achievement and I would like to commend them as fantastic ambassadors for Scotland on the world stage."
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