[Kampala, 03/09/2024] – As Uganda’s representative to the Council, James Okuku Junior, is honored to announce important updates to the WSDC rules. These changes have been made by the WSDC board with the intent to improve the quality of debate and the experience of all participants at the World Schools Debating Championship and in the revered World Schools Debating Championship.

Changes to WSDC Rules:

Rule 3.6 (New Addition):

The WSDC Council has observed an increasing trend where teams resort to dismissing or disparaging the analysis of their opponents, rather than engaging with it in good faith. We believe this approach is harmful to the spirit of debate for the following reasons:

Pedagogical Concerns:

This style of debating encourages students to rely on dismissing arguments rather than using their intellect to engage and respond thoughtfully. Debate is, in part, an intellectual game, and students should develop creative, nuanced responses rather than defaulting to a negative critique of their opponents.

Impact on Post-Round Discussions:

When debates are marked by dismissive or rude rhetoric, students are less likely to engage in post-round conversations, which diminishes the collaborative learning experience. Such negativity can also harm students’ self-esteem and detracts from the values we aim to promote in debating.

Negative Style:

This style does not inspire or engage audiences and participants. It lacks the intellectual depth, intrigue, and positivity that good debate should foster. To address this, we believe that negative, unfair rhetoric should be reflected in a speaker’s style score.

Rules 4.1 to 4.3 (For Addition of Rule 3.6):

These adjustments are meant to complement the introduction of Rule 3.6, reinforcing the values of constructive engagement and respectful discourse during debates.

Rule 7.6 (New Addition):

At the most recent WSDC tournament, which hosted 68 teams, we have observed that breaking more teams into the knockout rounds has several advantages. The rationale for this change includes:

Increased Fairness:

With a minimal difference between teams, allowing more to advance serves as a corrective for discrepancies in judge scoring and the tabulation system. It also gives more teams the opportunity to experience the excitement of knockout rounds.

Promotion of Debate:

By expanding the number of teams that break, we create a powerful promotional tool for debate, both nationally and within communities. This motivates students, boosts enthusiasm, and increases recognition for national debate programs.

Enhancement of Student Experience:

Giving more students the chance to participate in knockout rounds can ignite excitement and motivation, as seen in this year’s results, where the 31st-seeded team made it to the finals. This change ensures that more students leave the tournament feeling accomplished and inspired.

We are confident that these updates will contribute to a more engaging, respectful, and inclusive debating experience for all participants. For further details, please refer to the updated rules here: WSDC Rules – September 2024.

In case you want to read more on the same rules, the rules are hereby attached: https://debateinstituteafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/WSDC-Rules-September-2024.pdf

For media inquiries, please contact us at [email protected] 

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