An enlightening debate on ‘Money is not all that matters in life' Indian International School, Jeddah organized its annual English Debate on Jan.4 for students of grades six - eight (boys' section). The topic was ‘Money is not all that matters in life' and students of IISJ' proved their debating skills by proudly showing off their talents. A debate is a platform where every student has an opportunity to openly put forward his thoughts. Two teams comprising of seven participants in each team competed with zeal. The young debaters debated with enthusiasm and both were appealing and convincing as their speeches were punctuated with frequent applauses and cheers. It was judged by Dr.Israrul Haque from Batterji Institute and Khudsia Arshi from King Abdul- Aziz University. The team competing ‘for' the motion were declared winners. Reuben Roy and Rahul R. of grade eight bagged the best speakers' trophy, and the second and third prize was given to Nuzair Ansari, Nidhin Dilip and Syed Arsalan, respectivley. Principal Syed Masood Ahmed, applauded and complimented the students on their achievements. Calmly deal with emergencies Al-Hayat International School observed Jan.22 as the day for Safety and First Aid awareness. This topic was chosen as a part of the school's initiative to develop in students the first aid skills and to enable them to handle emergency situations with ease. Being prepared may help calm their nerves in a situation that requires first aid. An interactive approach to teach first aid and safety was intended by the “Safety & First Aid Awareness Day”, making the learning process more fun and effective. Numerous programs were held depicting the topic. The presence of renowned pediatrician of Shifa Jeddah Polyclinic, Dr. Vetrivel in the Boys' Section and Dr. Seema Raheel in the Girls' Section helped transfer the message more clearly. The demonstrative lecture and the video clips showed by the doctors were the center of attraction. With the help of these, the students were trained to tackle emergency situations with confidence. The session was interactive and informative for everyone. Fliers on first aid, fire and electrical safety were distributed to students. Mock dramas on handling emergency situations were performed by students of grades six, seven and eight. The primary children exhibited posters, banners, placards on procedures for handling injuries, general first aid and models of first aid kit. The event was a grand success and it would not have been possible with out the sincere support and dedication of the staff members of Al Hayat International School.Debate: Democracy or dictatorshipBy Zain ul Abidin Grade 10 Pakistan International School, Riyadh Students of grade nine and 10 of Pakistan International School, Riyadh held a substantial talk show on the issue of prevailing democracy or dictatorship in Pakistan. The anchor of the show, Zain Ul Abidin, student reporter for Fun Times , disclosed the rules and regulation to the participants, audience and judges. Four speakers of group A, Nauman (leader), Syed Qasim Ali, Shoaib and Muhammad Ali favoured democracy while the other four speakers in group B, Adnan Fayyaz (leader), Abdul Matin, Fahim Rouf and Abdul Majid favored dictatorship. Khaliq enlightened the audience about the fruits of democracy. He said that people feel relaxed in a democratic system. The leader of group-B, Adnan, broke the ice with the annotations that it was not General Yahya, but actually Bhutto. He also presented compelling facts about his remarks and thus earned his group a few extra points. Abdul Matin, at this instant further advanced with stunning arguments that the economic stability and development work of Gen. Ayub Khan, Gen Zia Ul Haq and Gen Musharraf were far better than all democratic governments. Hayat Ullah Khan, Gohar Rafiq, Azhar Khan and a student Ayub Yasin executed their duties as judges. After extensive discussion and scores from the judges, the students of Group-B, favoring dictatorship won the show, due to their powerful expression and command over language and facts. Anwar ul Haq, Media Coordinator of PISR, on behalf of Principal Nadir Alam commended the talk show and its organizers. Gohar Rafiq,a senior teacher of Urdu department declared the talk show a great achievement and a source of opening new horizons of thinking among youngsters. __
