國際辯論學會 The Debating Association

A team of six local students will competing for the  World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships, which is the  debating equivalent of football’s World Cup, in Lithuania.

Six students chosen for next month's contest in Lithuania

Debate is a combination of arts and science.

The nature of competing motivates you to thrive for a better performance, however attaches you with a possibility of losing. The class itself is a life lesson. No one can win with mere articulation; neither can you triumph with bare evidence. The balance has to be struck between the art of persuasion and rationale of statistics. It signifies the importance of all-round development. The beauty of debate lies in its very nature: It is not at all easy to maintain a record of championship, while not difficult to outperform oneself by practices and experiences.

Debate is an integrated training on rational thinking and presentation. It is never too early, nor too late to learn. At an early age, your kids will gain an edge in polishing their presentation skills. As your kids grow mature, they will benefit from the early exposure to rational thinking.

There is no doubt that debate plays a particularly important role in the current education system and the modern world of new era. We believe that equipping ourselves for the challenges ahead will always ensure our chance to triumph.

「第四屆國際辯論盃」得以在2009年9月假中文大學順利舉行，我衷心感謝各位學生踴躍參加、家長大力支持。另外，本會學生在「第六十屆校際朗誦節」中表現優異，成績有目共睹，令人鼓舞萬分。

我創辦本會的初衷是提供一個平台讓小兒練習辯論，事實證明我當初的決定是正確的。小兒的成績能穩步上揚，表達能力和溝通技巧得到提升，辯論可謂功不可沒。從過去數年的經驗，孩子學習辯論後，腦筋更靈活，在人前說話更具自信，溝通能力亦更高。因此，我確信辯論這項課外活動對孩子有莫大裨益。

踏入2010年，我期望本會繼續秉持宗旨，扮演導航者的角色，協助家長改善親子關係，幫助孩子發展潛能，建立信心，並能從容面對人生路上的種種轉變，踏上錦繡前程。

最後，祝各位新年進步，身體健康﹗

鄭太