Report- Oratory Contest

Association for Rural Development
Quality Education and Livelihood Support Programme
Event Report

Date: 14th September 2022
Field: Bethanchok RM, Ward 2, 3 and 5
Name: Bidhya Neupane
Designation: Intern

Event Title: Joint Event from Kushadevi Youth Club and Kushadevi Campus, Panauti to Conduct “Intercampus Secondary Level Oratory Competition Program” on 26th August 2022

Background

Extracurricular activities are essential for the development of student’s critical thinking ability, boosting their confidence, improving their writing and reading skills and their leadership skills. Keeping this in regard, Kushadevi Youth Club in a joint venture with Kushadevi Campus organized an intercampus and interschool secondary-level oratory competition program on 26th August 2022. 

The program was designed for students studying in grades 8, 9, 10 and 11, 12 as well as bachelor’s level. The topics for Oratory Competition were “Sustainable Development and Youth” and “Role of Youths in Environment Conservation”. These topics were chosen to encourage and aware youth of their responsibilities towards the environment and sustainability. The event was witnessed by 88 audiences including the panel of judges, the chief guest and the competitors of the event.

The objective of the event

• To enhance critical thinking, writing, presenting, speech and delivery skills along with boosting the confidence of students studying in Kushadevi Secondary School and Kushadevi Multiple Campus.

Methodology

An oratory competition was held within the premises of Kushadevi Secondary School with a joint venture from Kushadevi Youth Club and Kushadevi Campus on 26th August 2022 (Bhadra 10, 2079). There was a total of 10 participants in the competition. The competition was held among two groups of students. The first group of students were from grades 8, 9 and 10 who competed with each other to be the winners of the oratory competition. The second group belonged to the students of grades 11, 12 and Bachelor’s level who also competed with each other for the winning scores. There was a total of 88 audiences with 3 judges, 1 chief guest and 10 participants. There was the maximum participation for the contest from grade 8- presenting a total of 5 students. There were no students competing from grade 9. 

The program was chaired by the president of Kushadevi Youth Club, Sarita Sapkota. The campus chief of Kushadevi Campus, Shashi Kumar Bolakhe was present as the chief guest for the program. The panel of judges consisted of the teachers of Kushadevi Secondary School and Campus Sunita Thapa, Manoj Adhikari and the president of Kushadevi Youth Club Sarita Sapkota. 

The program began with welcome remarks from the chief guest Shashi Kumar Bolakhe. Then the president of the Youth Club and one of the judges Sarita Sapkota clarified the rules of the oratory competition. The time limit for each speaker was 5 minutes. The speaker could complete their sayings within the first four minutes and proceed towards the conclusion at the last minute of their allocated time. The speaker could speak on any of the provided topics which were, “Sustainable Development and Youth” and “Role of Youths in Environment Conservation”.

All the participants presented their logical arguments for their chosen topics. The key arguments presented were about how can youths collaborate and organize campaigns for environmental protection, what sustainable development meant to youths and its importance and how can youth influence the entire community regarding these issues. Some youths also demonstrated their arguments with examples of the recent activities such as plantation and sanitation they were engaged in. Youths supported their speech with examples throughout the nation and world. Each participant was introduced to a viewpoint that was different from their own. The audience was cheering with support and excitement. All the 10 participants, Radha Jeshwal, Alina Sapkota, Deepika Khatri, Mandip Deuja, Manika Humagain, Dikshya Sapkota, Jamuna Sapkota, Subekchya Sapkota, Ganga Sapkota and Bimala Tamang spoke their best on their chosen topics.

Once the delivery from all the participants was over, there was a small refreshment in the program. The panel of judges sat together to decide the scores and select winners from both groups. Once the judges decided on the names of the winners, an announcement was made. For the secondary level, i.e., from grades 8-10, the first position was obtained by Deepika Khatri. The second position from the same group was received by Subekshya Tamang. Both the students belonged to grade 8. From the other group, i.e., the group of grades 11-12 and Bachelor’s students, the first position belonged to Bimala Tamang from Grade 12. The second position for the same group was obtained by Jamuna Sapkota from B.Ed. first year.

The prize was distributed to the winners after the announcement. The prize consisted of some stationery materials including copies and pens. The prize was distributed to the winners by the chief guest Shashi Kumar Bolakhe. The host decided on the end of the program and after the program was over, winners gathered for a group picture.

Achievements

1. The improved intellectual, delivery, confidence and analytical capacity of students through this program.
2. The audience got aware of the significance of sustainability and the role of youths towards the environment.
3. The provision of attractive prizes increased the sense of high competition among the students and encouraged them to participate more in the future.
4. Kushadevi Youth Club members were successful to organize an event which developed their event management and coordinating skills.

Challenges and Learnings

1. The participation was low. The students need to be inspired and encouraged to participate in such competitions.
2. There were no participants from grade 9. The teachers and the members of the youth club should give an orientation regarding the benefits of extracurricular activities in students’ life.

Conclusion

Extracurricular activities like oratory competitions develop oral communication skills, boost confidence and provide social exposure to students. The knowledge obtained inside the classroom is not enough to build their intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. By exposing the students’ immense potential and supporting them in problem-solving, it appears that such programs have a significant impact on students’ capacity to strengthen their own willpower. Therefore, more such programs should be conducted frequently in schools and campuses. 

Annex

1. Details of Participants in the Program

2. Details of the Competitors 

3. Pictures