Sixty-three schools will join the first debating competition for junior secondary students organised by the Standing Committee on Language Education & Research.

A team of eight debaters comprising Secondary 1 to 3 students from each school will compete at the regional level in the preliminary round. Two winning teams in each region will enter the inter-region competition in the quarter-finals. The grand final will be held in July.

Launching the competition today, committee chairman Michael Tien said debating can provide students with a learning experience balanced in both language and critical thinking.

"It also blends the need of the four major language skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing, making language learning for students more meaningful and interesting," he said.

"Students also learn to work in a team, analyse from different angles, convince people with reason, and be positive and accepting."

The debate will be conducted in Cantonese. For more details click here.