Doha, January 11 (QNA) - QatarDebate Center (QDC), member of Qatar Foundation (QF), has capped off the 7th International Arabic School Debating Championship (ISDC) with the engagement of a contingent of school teams from around the world.

The final round culminated in crowning the Bahrain team with the title, while Turkiye came in second.

In the Arabic language category for non‑native speakers, the team from India achieved first place, followed by the team from Malaysia in second, underscoring the international character of the championship and its leading role in spreading the Arabic language and promoting its presence in educational environments around the world.

In the closing ceremony, QDC honored a phalanx of outstanding debaters who shone with their magnificent performances throughout the tournament, with Lana Al Hammoud from Syria named Best Speaker in the Open category, while Safiya bint Mohammed from Singapore earned Best Speaker in the Arabic for Non‑Native Speakers category, in recognition of their skills in persuasion, organization of ideas, and fluency of delivery.

Executive Director of QDC, Dr. Hayat Abdullah Marafi, expressed her pride in the success of this edition. She affirmed that the event, whose inaugural edition was launched in 2012, has positioned itself as a leading global milestone in QDC's path toward propagating the culture of debate in Arabic among the world's young people, as well as strengthening its presence in international fora.

Debating isn't merely a cognitive contest, but rather an integrated life experience that enhances self-confidence, develops skills of research, unpacking and constructing the argument, and, at the end of the day, refines student characters to be thoughtful leaders who strive to explore the truth through responsible and logical debate, Marafi highlighted.

This championship broadly deepens its standing as one of the flagship global educational platforms to hone critical thinking skills, strengthen collective work, advance student engagement talent, along with its pivotal role in reinforcing the presence of the Arabic language, as well as the culture of constructive conversation and openness among emerging generations. (QNA)