NILAI,  October, 16 2021 – the University Civic Engagement Club (UCEC), in partnership with EcoKnights, United State Embassy, the Centre for Sustainability and Serenity (C4SS) Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), the USIM Debate Club and USIM Student Representative Council in the Volunteer and Humanitarian Committee and IIUM, has organized the Eco-Green Debate 2021 competition, which featured debaters from USIM and IIUM in each of the three language categories: Malay, English and Arabic.
Furthermore, the Eco-Green Debate 2021 competition differs from previous debate competitions because it is run in the style of a Presidential Debate.

The Eco-Green Debate 2021 was the idea from Vice Chancellor USIM, Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mohamed Ridza Wahiddin and supported by the Rector IIUM, Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak during the launching of UCEC project in Kuala Lumpur. The competition is a platform for talented and versatile students to share ideas and develop critical intellectual viewpoints in assessing an issue based on evidence-based facts.

This competition aims to be established as a venue for professional discussion and to further develop leadership and collaborative skills. Furthermore, encouraging students to be well equipped with higher-order and critical thinking skills as well as improving their Malay, English, and Arabic proficiency.

As a matter of fact, mastering public speaking is crucial for university students, particularly when they enter the workforce after graduation. Public speaking aids in the delivery of information by ensuring that the message is comprehended by the audience. Furthermore, communication skills are essential skills to meet the period of a borderless world in line with the difficulties of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Apart from that, debate is one of the best platforms for students to improve their authoritative leadership skills, their self-confidence, as well as knowledge in Sustainable issues particularly when dealing with the community outside of the university. This activity is in keeping with the Ministry of Education Malaysia’s (MOE) goals, which include ensuring that the younger generation can communicate effectively, think critically, and share innovative ideas to address environmental challenges.

The overall winner for the competition was from USIM as they won 2 categories out of 3 which were Bahasa Melayu and Arabic. We hope that this competition continues to be held in the future.

**sources:  C4SS

Prepared by:
Pusat Komunikasi Strategik (StraComm)
Aras 1, Canselori Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM)
Bandar Baru Nilai, 71800 Nilai Negeri Sembila