Vencrest Schools, Port Harcourt, have booked their place in the Round of 12 at the 2026 I Beg to Differ National Debate Finals after edging out Community Secondary School, Rumuolumeni, in a tightly contested Group A encounter.
The high-stakes debate, was the final Group A fixture of the national championship, with both schools entering the contest without a point and needing a victory to keep their hopes of advancing alive.
The debate centred on the motion: “Democracy Remains the Best System of Government.”
Community Secondary School, represented by Success Favor and Blessing Eno, argued in support of the motion, highlighting democracy’s role in promoting peaceful transitions of power, protecting fundamental freedoms and giving citizens the opportunity to influence leadership through elections.
The team maintained that democracy provides a system of accountability where citizens can challenge poor governance and replace ineffective leaders through constitutional processes.
But Vencrest Schools’ representatives, Mary-Jane Oluwatosi Clifford and Sarimiye Diane Tamarapreye, delivered a strong counterargument, questioning the idea that democracy could be considered the best system of government in every situation.
They argued that governance should be measured by outcomes and the ability of a system to meet the needs of its people, rather than by a single political model.
Citing examples from countries such as China, Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates, Vencrest maintained that some non-democratic nations have recorded significant economic progress.
After three demanding rounds of competition — including opening presentations, direct rebuttals and closing summaries — the adjudicators awarded Vencrest Schools a narrow victory with 64.5 points, compared to Community Secondary School’s 63 points.
The audience vote further strengthened Vencrest’s position, as the Port Harcourt school received 58 percent of the public votes on YouTube, while Community Secondary School recorded 42 percent.
The combined result saw Vencrest declared the winner by unanimous decision, with a total score of 70.3 points against Community Secondary School’s 67.2, earning three points and a place in the knockout stages.
Community Secondary School, despite putting up a strong performance, finished the group campaign without points and was eliminated from the competition.
With all Group A fixtures completed, Honeyland School, Lagos, finished top of the table with nine points after an unbeaten run, while Grace High School, Lagos, placed second with six points.
Vencrest Schools claimed third position with three points to complete the teams progressing from the group.
Comments
Add a comment