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The Debate Team from Thursina International Islamic Boarding School (IIBS) successfully secured first place at the National Students’ Arts Competition Festival (FLS2N) 2023 Malang Regency level on May 24. This remarkable achievement has officially seen off members of the team: Farras Hasyim, Dzakky Zafran, and M. Naufal Anugerah as representatives of Malang Regency in the upcoming provincial level competition.

Held at the Hall of  State High School 1 of Gondanglegi, the event brought together participants from more than 33 high schools across Malang regency. The event featured 15 competitions branches. One of the competitions that students from Thursina IIBS participated in was the English Debate Competition where they competed against 11 other teams. 

Farras, the team captain, emphasized that their victory was the result of harmonious cooperation and team-work of his members. Throughout the competition, he and his team navigated several rounds including pre-elimination, elimination, semifinal, and final rounds. Ultimately, the team participated in five debate sessions before securing their victory in the final. “The most nerve wracking moment was the semifinal and final because we were faced with tough opponents,” he recalled. “However, thanks to our patience in seeing the opponents’ carelessness, we managed to score an additional point.”

In this competition, each team was given a topic to present, covering areas such as law, education, and religion. As the first speaker, Farras had the responsibility of carefully detailing the motion, including its description and the potential impact of certain policies. Meanwhile, Zaky, the second speaker, was tasked with completing the argument by discussing the best and worst outcomes of the proposed policy. Finally, Naufal, the third speaker, offered rebuttals to the opponents' arguments and provided comparisons supported by logical reasoning.

“When the opposing team gave a description that lacks detail, it became our opportunity to refute and counterattack their argument,” explained Farras. “(In the end), alhamdulillah, we were declared as the first winner.”

This achievement allowed the Thursina IIBS team to represent Malang Regency in the FLS2N event at the East Java Provincial level. This brilliant feat by the Thursina IIBS debate team came after their victory as the runner-up at the 2023 World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC). In mid-June, they will compete in an online competition with hundreds of other participants from across East Java, all vying for a spot at the national level FLS2N. “We hope that we can accomplish our best and advance to the national stage,” added Naufal. 

Dzaky also shared some tips on achieving success in debate competitions. He emphasized the importance of developing several key skills, including building strong bonds among team members, enhancing critical thinking, prioritizing logical reasoning, presenting arguments in a structured and coherent manner, and maintaining good manners without being overly aggressive. “One of the ways we can improve our skill quality is by doing a debate simulation to prepare ourselves and foster our confidence,” he said. 

Moving forward, Dzaky hopes that their achievement can serve as a foundation for building a debate community at Thursina IIBS. He believes that participating in debate competitions can help nurture critical thinking and boost confidence. “I hope other students will grow more interested in debate. The key is not to be afraid to try new things, because they can give you valuable experiences for your future,” he concluded.