Debating Society

Beyond the silt and gathering rubbish of the banks of the Ravi is a mystery. Beyond the 7 Doors, is a marvel- the city of Lahore, as it sits proudly on cushions of tradition, heritage and culture. On the fine line between old and new Lahore stands tall the century-old tower of GCU and under its magnificent shadow rests MB-4. The Majlis-e-Mubahis Government College University Lahore has a rich tradition of extra-curricular activities that has continued to polish its students since the establishment of the Government College in 1864. In its modern form, the Debating Society is a microcosm of such excellence, but its history dates back to the time of the elected Students’ Union and its brother society, the Young Speakers’ Union (later changed to Young Students’ Union, to the delight of Intermediate Students).



Since the 1930’s, the college has boasted the most refined tongues and sharpest minds. While earlier, debates revolved largely around simplistic, social topics pertinent to the locals, the Debating Society has now expanded its horizons. Its current pursuits and knowledge stretch out to cover the fields of economics, politics, entertainment and even science and technology. A good amount of research is now put into the accumulation of updated facts, reports and objective analysis of current affairs and global issues. The University’s library has an area dedicated to the collection of books, magazines and other periodicals for the aid of the Society. Ravians have always prided themselves of the fact that senior speakers have always been skilled enough to train them, thus removing the need to hire external coaches. This practice has only contributed to further strengthening the bonds of Ravians, past and present.

It is true that the most constant thing in life is change. Our students have and do embrace this fact with enthusiasm, having always risen to challenges and avidly availed the opportunities they have been provided with. Model UN sessions and exchange debates with fellow students from across the border may be novel today, but right in the early days of our nation’s life, Government College speakers had taken these initiatives to help foster amiable relations with our neighbouring youth. The College also saw its students initiate bi-lingual debates, an unparalleled concept in the art of oratory in the region and in 1968, ventured into a tri-lingual House of Commons style debate, which outshone all other annual competitions throughout the country. In 1971, a step was taken further and history made again when the 1st-ever tri-lingual selection debates were held for inducting girls into the coterie of orators. While some events like the Annual Students vs. Staff debates have now lost steam, the Annual Old Ravians vs. Ravians are still eagerly awaited.

Although declamation has historically been GC’s strong point, in recent years, the Debating Society has made its mark in extemporary public speaking. Apart from outstanding team efforts resulting in consecutive wins at Kinnaird, LACAS (Sondhi) and Risalpur for over 4 years, certain individuals have merited specific mention.

The 1993-1994 session saw M. Sabeeh Anwar selected as a representative of Pakistan in the U-19’s World Schools Debating Championship held in New Zealand. In 1997, 3 of the 5 members of the Pakistan National Team were Ravians, namely, Ali Raza Naqvi, Usman Shaukat and Riaz Hussain. Senator Aitzaz Ahsan is also a product of the Society’s grooming. 2 of the University’s most prestigious medals are named after former debaters, the Daud Ilyas Medal for Best Overall Intermediate Student and the Muhammad Idrees Medal for Best Debater.

Today, under the auspices of Staff Advisor, Dr. Haroon Qadir and Co-Staff Advisor, M. Siddique Awan, the Debating Society continues to flourish, annually securing an average of 25-30 trophies nationwide. As of late, girls have become exceptionally adept at their verbal skills with Masuma Farooki (on study leave) having been appointed as Co-In Charge Debating Society and students Sana Gulzar and Soufia A. Siddiqi completing Rolls of Honour within short spans of 1-1.5 years.

So come knock on our brown doors and talk to us. Because that is where the debate is. That is where the life is. Any time of year.

GCUDS Annual Progress Report 2013-14

“The Debating Society of Government College University, Lahore (GCUDS) has set a new national record by clinching 265 oratory awards at various prestigious national and international competitions during the university’s 150th academic year”, it was revealed in the GCUDS Annual Report 2013-14, presented to Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Khaleeq-ur-Rahman by the GCUDS President Khawaja Yasin on Tuesday at the society’s annual meeting.

The report highlights that the record 265 awards include 56 coveted team trophies, 18 runners-up trophies, 92 best speaker awards, 52 second-position awards, 44 third-position and 03 consolation prizes, which were won at 92 declamation, parliamentary, recitation and poetry competitions in English, Urdu and Punjabi languages at both the national and international levels.

Talking to the shining orators, Vice Chancellor Prof Khaleeq-ur-Rahman said the orators’ achievements were particularly laudable since they were not exempted from any academic work or exams as is the norm elsewhere. “Yet, they have beaten all the previous records of GCU and other national level institutions by achieving the highest number of awards i.e. 265,” he added.

He termed the Debating Society to be the crown of university’s student clubs on account of its unprecedented accomplishments, adding that competitive debating had been his forte since student days, as it played a crucial role in shaping intellectual landscape of students. The Vice Chancellor recalled that that he had rightly enhanced the annual grant of GCUDS at the beginning of previous academic year which bore fruit.

The Vice Chancellor especially congratulated Ahmad Ch, Zahid Ali, Khakan Arshad, Hassan Haider Raza, Misbah Mukhtar, Adnan Nawaz, Muhammad Awais, Shahzad Khan, Hafiz Rehmat Ullah, Hassan Virk, Sana Mansoor, Ismail Sharwani and Khawaja Yasin for their commendable contribution to take the tally this high. The Ravian orators this year stamped their seal of competence at the prestigious educational institutions all over Pakistan including PAF Academy, Risalpur; Kinnaird College Lahore, FCC University, Aitchison College Lahore, Army Bournhall School, Abbottabad, NUST, GIKI, PIEAS, Sadiq Public School Bhawalpur, UET Lahore, UAF, COMSAT, KEMU, AIMC, Edwards College Peshawar, GCUF and Chief Minister’s Youth Festival.

GCUDS President said in the 150th academic year of GCU, they, the Ravian debaters, had humbly paid homage to their alma mater by winning 265 oratory awards. He attributed the momentous victory to the unflinching support and patronage of their Vice Chancellor who not arranged state-of-the-art trainings for them, but also funded their debating trips to represent GCU at the international and national events. Khawaja said that that the Vice Chancellor, being himself a debater throughout his student life, had shown a special interest in debates at GCU and they hoped that he would continue to supervise them.

(28-05-2014)
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Contact Us
Siddique Awan
(Eng Department)
Email: debatingsociety_gcu@yahoo.com
UAN: 111-000-010 Ext: 267
Fax: 042-99213337