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Tafadzwa Zimoyo Senior Arts Reporter
The recently launched CBZ Schools Debate is scheduled to take place this month-end with 1 000 primary schools across the country having already registered for the contest.

CBZ teamed up with the Institute of African Knowledge to bring vibrancy to the education sector through competitive debate.

The prize money for the competition is $60 000 with provincial winners walking away with $1 000 which is doubled if the school banks with CBZ while the national prize is $ 7 500

The first runner up will walk away with $5 000 and second runner up gets $2 500

Earlier this week, the Institute of African Knowledge released the rules for the debate which will only cater for primary schools in 2018, with envisaged incorporation of secondary schools in the future.

Spokesperson for CBZ Schools Debate, Isheanesu Sibanda said the tournament is meant to develop critical thinking, reading and researching, active listening, amongst many other benefits.

“Registration and participation is absolutely free and there are huge prizes to be won. The two teams participate in a debate, with one taking the affirmative position and the other taking the non-affirmative position,” he said

“Each team is allowed to have five members, with two of these being substitutes who can be changed during the course of the competition but not within a debate session.

“Each speaker, of the three in each team, delivers a five minute speech in a zigzag sequence first affirmative followed by first non-affirmative in that order,” he said.

He said the first speakers of both teams will give two and half minute long uninterrupted summary speeches after the first six main speeches.

“The non-affirmative side will be the first to deliver a summary speech followed by the affirmative side.

Points of information can be made after the first minute and before the last minute of each of the first six speeches. A member of the opposition should stand and say, “Point of Information” in which case the speaker can either accept or deny. The point of information should be short, precise and not more than 20 seconds.

“Speakers are encouraged to accept at least one point of information,” he said.

Sibanda said that to ensure the smooth flow of each debate session, each debate should have at least three personalities in the name of the chairperson, time keeper and at least one INSTAK trained adjudicator.

The Institute of African Knowledge is currently on a nation-wide tour conducting on-site workshops in preparation for the first competitions. A specially-dedicated website for the CBZ Schools Debate goes live on June 18.