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A team from La Salle College came up with the winning argument at the final of an anti-drug debating competition held yesterday (April 29) at Queen Elizabeth Stadium.
The debate motion of last nightˇ¦s competition was ˇ§Schools should have greater responsibility than parents to prevent students from engaging in drug abuse activitiesˇ¨. Team members put forward their arguments from the points of views of values, law, psychology and the responsibilities and influences of schools and parents on their children, La Salle College beat 60 local and Macau secondary schools and won a cash prize as well as a trip to Beijing, visiting a local university and debating with its school team.
Jointly organised by the Lions Quest & Youth Outreaching and Drug Awareness Committee of Lions Clubs International District 303, Hong Kong and Macau, China, and the Narcotics Division, Security Bureau, the inter-school English debating competition was aimed at improving studentsˇ¦ organising and analytical abilities, as well as their debating skills. The competition also raised studentsˇ¦ awareness of social issues especially the problem of drug abuse and deepened their understanding on the dire consequences of drug abuse.
The judging panel comprised Chairman of the Action Committee Against Narcotics, Professor Daniel Shek; Professor Cheung Yuet-wah of the Department of Sociology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Past District Governor of Lions Clubs International D303, Dr Richard Tan; Outgoing Team Leader of English Debating Team of The University of Hong Kong, Mr Wesley Wong; and Representative of the Harvard Club of Hong Kong, Mr Cheung Leong.
Professor Shek highly commended the performance of both participating teams. Quoting information from local and overseas research studies, he pointed out that parents and schools played a key role in preventing student from taking drugs.
Professor Shek hoped that both schools and parents would take their duty in protecting their children from drugs seriously and keep communicating with each other so that both could understand the problems and views of their children or students. Anti-drug efforts should be persistent. Parents, schools as well as different sectors of the community should all play their part to combat the youth drug abuse problem. For example, building a harmonious family atmosphere and a healthy school environment will help the youth to say no to drugs.
Ends/Thursday, April 30, 2009
Issued at HKT 17:51
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