News
Debate Competition Encourages Critical Thinking, Confident Communication, and Effective Argumentation Among Engineering Students Across Departments
26 Oct 2026
1. Introduction
The Training and Development Team of the Faculty of Engineering & Technology (FET) organised a Debate Competition on 8 October 2026 to strengthen students' communication, critical thinking, research and public speaking skills. The event brought together students from the Biotechnology (BT), Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) and Mechanical Engineering (ME) departments, who debated contemporary and thought-provoking topics before a panel of faculty judges.
2. Objectives
- To provide students a platform to express ideas clearly and confidently.
- To encourage structured argumentation, evidence-based reasoning and active listening.
- To promote healthy interaction and teamwork across departments.
- To prepare students for group discussions, interviews and professional communication.
3. Event Details
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Event
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Debate Competition
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Organiser
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Training and Development Team, FET
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Participating Departments
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Biotechnology, CSE, Mechanical Engineering
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Total Teams
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8 Team
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Date
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8 October 2026
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Time
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1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
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Venue
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FET, Seminar Hall
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4. Debate Topics
Four topics were assigned, each debated from two opposing sides. This gave a total of eight teams, each speaking for one side of one topic.
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No.
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Debate Topic
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Side A
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Side B
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1
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Money and Happiness
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Is Money More Important Than Happiness?
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Is Happiness More Important Than Money?
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2
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Technology and Creativity
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Is Technology Making Students Less Creative?
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Is Technology Making Students More Creative?
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3
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AI and Teaching
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Can AI Replace Human Teachers? (Support: Yes)
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Can AI Replace Human Teachers? (Support: No)
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4
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Knowledge and Skills
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What Matters More: Knowledge or Skills? (Support: Knowledge)
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What Matters More: Skills or Knowledge? (Support: Skills)
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5. Panel of Judges
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S. No.
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Name of Judge
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Department
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1
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Ms. Divyanshi Pal
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Applied Sciences
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2
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Dr. Renu Verma
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Biotech Department
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3
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Mr. Devvrat Mathur
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CS Department
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The judges evaluated the teams on the basis of content and clarity of arguments, use of facts and examples, rebuttal, confidence and delivery, teamwork and adherence to time limits.
6. Proceedings
The competition commenced with a welcome address by the Training and Development Team, followed by an introduction of the judges and an explanation of the rules and format. The eight participating teams presented their arguments on their allotted topics and stance. Students displayed thorough preparation, logical reasoning and strong rebuttals, and the discussions on the role of AI in education and on the balance between knowledge and skills drew particular interest from the audience. After all rounds, the judges deliberated and announced the results.
7. Result
The team Socratic Circle was declared the Winner of the Debate Competition. The members of the winning team are:
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S. No.
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Name of Team Member
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Year / Programme
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1
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Devika Gupta
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3rd Year, B.Tech (BT)
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2
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Shani Gupta
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3rd Year, B.Tech (BT)
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3
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Trisha Pandey
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3rd Year, B.Tech (BT)
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4
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Shashwat Jaiswal
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3rd Year, B.Tech (BT)
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5
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Kartikey Pandey
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3rd Year, B.Tech (ME)
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The winning team impressed the judges with its well-structured arguments, effective coordination and confident presentation. Its multidisciplinary composition of Biotechnology and Mechanical Engineering students was also appreciated.
8. Conclusion
The Debate Competition was successfully conducted and received enthusiastic participation from students across departments. It gave participants a valuable opportunity to sharpen their communication and analytical abilities. The Training and Development Team congratulates the winners and all participants, and thanks the judges, faculty members and student volunteers for their support. Similar events will be organised in the future.
9. Acknowledgement
The Training and Development Team, FET, extends its sincere gratitude to the Dean/Head of the Faculty, the Heads of the participating departments, the esteemed judges, and everyone who contributed to the smooth conduct of the event.
Prepared by:
Training and Development Team, FET
