Ardfield pupils are word-y winners in debating comp

ARDFIELD National School took first place in West Cork’s primary school’s debating competition. 

Organised and Co-ordinated by West Cork Education Centre, they said they were most impressed with the standard of debating by all who took part. 

Knockskeagh NS competed against Ardfield in the final debate on ‘Young people today do not care about the problems of the developing world.’ Both teams energised the audience with a thought-provoking and interesting debate. 

County mayor, Cllr Declan Hurley attended the final debate and said: ‘I am a strong advocate of debating and I was greatly inspired by the high level of debating in the 2018 West Cork Primary School finals. Learning to debate at a young age has many benefits and can be a valuable learning tool for young students in developing good speaking abilities, improving listening skills, building self-esteem and offers the ability to see one statement or idea from various perspectives and encourages students to think on their feet.’

West Cork Education Centre thanked all participating schools, particularly their principals and teachers for engaging with this initiative and offering students the opportunity to develop these invaluable skills.