The Question is Academic

Four Abbey men made their Politics Show debut on Friday 20th October in fine style. They were four stalwart campaigners chosen to argue on the topic of academic selection and to put a twist in the tale, our neighbours Newry High School were asked to argue in favour of academic selection while the Abbey CBS team was to argue against.

Newry High opened the argument and Ryan Martin was quick to question their alternatives for academic selection in the light of the 11+ transfer tests being abolished. Seamus Brannigan demonstrated the flaws of the current system set out by the Butler Act while Conor McGuigan strengthened and expanded on the evident weaknesses to a grade boundary approach in marking the tests. Philip McClory argued that the current system was indeed as Newry High suggested, unfair, but only in that it was equally unfair to every child. He went on to open the argument for the Abbey with a convincing and considered look at the outcomes of the current selection procedures.

Both schools coped extremely well with an argument of which they had direct, yet very different experiences. Indeed a most positive result of this televised debate was the fact that it was the first time both schools met for this type of competition.

The Abbey students did us proud and they are all to be congratulated for their skilled performances and lucid arguments – something perhaps our politicians are still striving for. Ryan Martin suggested in his closing speech for the Abbey that politicians should not ignore the youth, they are the future. It is fitting then to also thank the large number of staff who passed on their best wishes and congratulations to the boys who took part and for me to thank the team members for their professionalism at each stage of the process; research, rehearsal, filming.

Ms A. Reynolds

Debating