By Favour Nnabugwu

The Honourable Minister of State for Education, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has expressed the commitment of the Federal Government to promote debating culture amongst Nigerian students in the overall move to revive education in the nation.

Speaking during a courtesy call on him by the Board of the President’s School Debate led by Dr jerry Agada,  Barr Wike noted that debate amongst students encourage them to research into critical areas of national development.

He said that the challenges facing the education sector could be attributed to the failure of students and teachers to conduct necessary research into areas other than their field of study.

Wike noted that debates in the past groomed Nigerian leaders and other prominent citizens who found the debating clubs in schools as the point to develop their confidence in public presentation and discourse.

He added that the Federal Ministry of Education would support the President’s School Debate Committee to achieve its mandate of increasing the number of debate competitions amongst Nigerian schools and the nation’s participation in international debating programmes.

He added that the programme of the President’s School Debate Committee will be incorporated into the National Bring Back the Book Programme initiated by President Goodluck Jonathan, which will be well funded and monitored to achieve the desired results.

In his opening remarks, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the President’s School Debate Committee, Dr Jerry Agada stated that the programme was introduced to re-awaken the culture of debate amongst Nigerian students.