The team from IES Ramon Llull, from Valencia, has been proclaimed winner of the finals of the Secondary and Upper Secondary Education Debate League of the Universitat de València, which they performed against IES Manuel Sanchis Guarner, from Castelló de Rugat, this Saturday, 10 February, at the Matilde Salvador Hall of the La Nau Cultural Centre. The award for best orator went to the student Júlia Ordiñana, from IES Manuel Sanchis Guarner, Castelló de Rugat.
Comprised of Maria Mira, Asier Ciilleruelo, Lucía Villora, Violeta Bisquert, and Mariola Villar, with Enric Senabre as captain, the team from IES Ramon Llull. as local phase champions, becomes the representing team for the Universitat de València at the final phase of the Xarxa Vives d’Universitats Debate League, which will take place this 2024 at the Universitat Jaume I, in Castellón de la Plana from 17 to 19 April.
The semifinals and the finals of the local phase of the UV saw the attendance of Marcos Durà, Student officer, and Alexandra Usó, president of the Escola Valenciana federation, who were tasked with delivering the awards to the winning team and to the best orator. Both of them highlighted the excellent level of the competition and the exciting topic around which the debates revolved: “Is AI a threat to humanity?”.
A total of 16 teams made up of students from registered centres and a teacher for each, who acted as captain, participated in the local phase of the Universitat de València. The semifinals were reached by the teams from IES Porçons (Aielo de Malferit), Mare de Déu del Olivar II (Alaquàs), IES Ramon Llull (València), and IES Manuel Sanchis Guarner (Castelló de Rugat). Another twelve teams participated in the league: IES Tierno Galván (Moncada), IES Les Foies (Benigànim), IES Almussafes (Almussafes), La Nostra Escola Comarcal (Picassent), IES Campanar (València), IES San Vicente Ferrer (Algemesí), IES Isabel de Villena (València), IES Serra de Irta (Acalà de Xivert), IES Foia de Bunyol (Buñol), C.C. María Auxiliadora (Algemesí), l’Escola Les Carolines (Picassent), and Florida Universitaria (Catarroja).
On the other hand, the jury was made up of Carme Gregori-Soldevila and Maria Saiz Raimundo, from the Department of Catalan of the UV; Joan Vila Francés, from the Department of Electronical Engineering (ETSE-UV); Joan Ferrando, from the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics (UV); and Adela Costa, Paulina Ribera, and Laura Font, as representatives of Escola Valenciana.
The Secondary and Upper Secondary Education Debate League is an oratory competition in which a variety of teams comprised of students from 4th year of ESO, upper secondary education, and vocational education and training programs debate on a controversial topic of up-to-date interest. The objective of the League is to improve the communicative skills of the students through the use of the word, all while encouraging the acquisition of transversal skills, such as discourse construction, planning and decision-making, teamwork, creativity, and confidence, amongst others.
The local phase of the League of the Universitat de València is promoted by the Students Delegation and organised by the SeDi Information and Promotion Service of Students, with the collaboration of the Escola Valenciana federation and the La Nau Cultural Centre.
