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PETRA and Sizane high schools scooped first position in the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) high schools climate change debate competition held at a Bulawayo hotel on Thursday last week.A total of 28 schools drawn from the five Bulawayo Metropolitan Districits participated in the event organised by the Climate Change Office in the Ministry of Environment as part of efforts to strengthen national capacity for climate change programme.
The debate running under the theme “Is climatic change a reality” was aimed at promoting environmental awareness and stewardship among all citizens in general and schoolchildren in particular.
Sizane High School was adjudged to be the best opposing side while Petra was the best school supporting the topic.
In separate interviews on the sidelines of the event, national programme co-ordinator in the Climate Change Office Mr Washington Zhakata said the debates adopted by his ministry were an avenue to cascade environmental information.
“Involving youths in schools debates is an indispensable avenue through which environmental information can be cascaded to every part of the community,” he said.
Bulawayo Provincial Education Director Mr Dan Moyo said environmental debates gave pupils an opportunity to research on environmental issues and broaden their knowledge.
“These debates act as a platform for schools to mingle and share information that may help them in writing school assignments.
“They raise awareness and help young people understand what is happening to their environment,” said Mr Moyo
EMA provincial manager for Bulawayo Mr Descent Ndlovu said his organisation launched environmental school debates in 2010 and has always maintained that everyone is a custodian of the environment on behalf of future generations
He said high schools debate had become an annual event in the EMA calendar. Six schools, three each from the affirmative side and non affirmative side, won cash prizes in the competition.
From the affirmative side Petra High School took first position and walked away with $1 000, followed by Luveve High School which came second and walked away with $800 and Montrose coming in third place with $500.
In the non affirmative side Sizane High took first position followed by Townsend and Founders’ High School who walked away with similar prizes. The debate explored how human behaviour had been citied as the major cause for climate change.
Environmentally degrading activities like industrial processes which emit noxious gases and indiscriminate cutting down of trees or burning of vegetation are among human activities that cause global warming and climate change.
Climate change has been blamed for increased frequency and severity of natural disasters like floods, earthquakes and prolonged drought.
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