The British Deputy High Commission in association with the British Council held the Kolkata leg of ‘The GREAT Debate’ competition in Kolkata today at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences campus. Eight institutions from Kolkata – WBNUJS, Heritage Institute of Technology, Jadavpur University, Presidency University, St. Xavier’s College, Loreto College, I-LEAD and Scottish Church College – participated in the competition which debated the theme – ‘This house believes that religion does more harm than good.’
The GREAT Debate is a unique opportunity to celebrate the UK and India’s shared culture of vibrant discussion and debate. Organised by the British High Commission, the GREAT Debate competition this year is the biggest since its conception. In its third edition, the competition is being organised in ten cities. Apart from Kolkata, the GREAT Debates are being held in Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Jaipur.
The winning team from the regional debate competition heats will participate in the grand finale. The winning team from the national finals will be offered a week-long study tour to the UK, which will include visits to historical sites, academic institutions and cultural events, as well as meetings with British students.
British Council, the Chevening Scholarships programme, Virgin Atlantic, Premier Explore and Luxury Hotels Group are partnering with the British High Commission to organise the GREAT Debate 2015.
Excerpts of the Speech by Mr Scott Furssedonn-Wood, British Deputy High Commissioner, Kolkata
The GREAT Debate is a unique opportunity to celebrate the UK and India’s shared culture of vibrant discussion and debate. This year we are collaborating with West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, one of the top law schools in India, for the Kolkata GREAT Debate. Thank you to Vice Chancellor for giving us the opportunity to host the debate at the WBNUJS auditorium, and to the Literary and Debating Society for working with us to organise the GREAT Debate.
The UK welcomes the brightest and best international students to our world-class universities. A British education is a quality-mark and a passport to global success. The UK is home to some of the oldest and most respected universities in the world, and some of the very best. The UK hosts four of the world’s top ten universities (Cambridge, UCL, Imperial College London and Oxford) and is home to 30 of the world’s top 200 universities.[1]
British education also offers excellent value for money. British degree courses are more intense than in many other countries, with students receiving top quality education in a shorter period, costing less overall than other destinations.
In India, the UK hosts the largest Chevening country programme in the world to fund about 130 fully funded scholarships for future Indian leaders. The Chevening India programme is now our world’s largest with £2.6 million budget for 2015-16; around 65 fully-funded, scholarships for one-year Master’s programmes in any subject at a recognised UK university for graduates; and around 65 short-term, thematic bespoke programmes at designated UK universities for mid-to-senior level professionals in the fields of journalism, cyber-security, leadership and management and science and innovation.