Quiz and Debates remain some of the integral aspects of effective learning as they inspire students to engage in independent learning, critical thinking, public confidence and presentation, and peer learning and inspiration. They also provide opportunities for collaborative and creative learning. To achieve these objectives, the Economics Department of Nile University in collaboration with the National Economics Students Association (NESA), Nile University chapter, organized three quiz and debate competitions.
The preliminary rounds of the competitions took place on 22nd June 2021 at the University’s Conference Hall from 2pm to 5 pm. The first debate was contested by the Adam Smith Group and Karl Marx Group. Both participants debated on the topic, “Should the government allow and regulate cryptocurrency?” They also competed in a quiz competition in four different rounds, namely the toss-up round, head-to-head round, category round, and lightning moment round, all focused on the areas of Micro-Economics, Macro-Economics, International Trade, and Petroleum Economics. The Adam Smith group won all the competitions.
The second segment of the preliminary competition was contested by the Economics Department and Petroleum Engineering Department under the auspices of the National Economics Students Association (NESA) and Society for Petroleum Engineers (SPE) respectively. Both teams debated on whether the government should remove fuel subsidies. They also competed in a quiz about Petroleum Economics. The SPE won the debate while NESA won the quiz competition.
On 25th June 2021, the final round of the competition took place, which featured a quiz and debate contest between the Nile Economics Department and the University of Abuja. The debate topic was whether the government should borrow more. The University of Abuja won the debate and Nile University won the quiz competition. This is the first-ever collaboration between the students of the two universities and has forged a new relationship between both universities.
The quiz and debate competitions were convened and presented by Dr. Ahmed Adamu on behalf of the Nile Economics department. According to Dr. Adamu, “this is the first time we have seen two universities in Abuja competing in a quiz and debate competition, and that is why Nile University is leading in all ramifications. This kind of initiative is an inspiration for other universities to emulate so that we can create a social environment for students to improve their critical thinking, independent research, public presentations, and peer inspiration. This competition provided us the opportunity to truly tested our students’ deep understanding of the economics discipline, and we were impressed with their performance.”
Dr. Adamu also stated that the Economics Department will organize more of such initiatives to establish stronger relationships between Nile University and other universities.
