CU hosts a festival of ideas debate fest 2025 a grand success
The two-day English debate festival CU Debate Fest 2025, organised by the Chittagong University Debating Society (CUDS), the central debating organisation of Chittagong University, was held on January 24 and 25, 2025.
On the festival's first day, a four-round preliminary debate competition was held at the Faculty of Business Administration of the University. Twenty-four 24 university teams from all over the country joined the battle of debating.
On the 25th, the competition's grand final, including the closing ceremony, was held in the Zilla Shilpakala Academy, Chattogram Auditorium. The top four teams of the competition participated in the final stage of the festival. The festival's winner was the Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) debating team, and the runner-up was the Finance Business Debating Association of Chittagong University (CU FBDA) debating team. Ahnaf Kamran Tokky from BUP and Sabrina Akter from CU FBDA jointly became the debater of the tournament. Ahnaf Kamran Tokky was awarded as the debater of the final as well.
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For the prize-giving ceremony, the honourable guests in attendance were the Assistant Vice President of Metlife Bangladesh and former president of CUDS, Mr. Md. Abdus Samad Hemal; the Assistant Director and Youth Focal of YPSA, Mr. Md Abdus Sabur; the President of CUDS and the convener of the festival Marzook-E-Elahi; and the General Secretary of CUDS, Mehedi Hasan Emon.
More than three hundred students, including debaters and judges, participated in the two-day-long event. It accommodated the country's best adjudicators and tournament directors to conduct its proceedings.
The festival convener, Mr Marzook-E-Elahi, said, "CUDS has been working for 29 years to develop students' talent through the reasoning of Chittagong University. We have been implementing this goal by participating in debates and organising debate competitions in Chattogram."
The event's guests spoke about the future of debate in contemporary reality and also highlighted CUDS' unique role in developing a rational youth-led nation in Bangladesh.
Berger Paints Bangladesh Limited and Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) sponsor the festival. Other partners include Kurmure as the snacks partner, Starship Mango Milk as the beverage partner, NESCAFÉ as the coffee partner, TBS Graduates as the youth engagement partner, BrainyZat as the digital partner, FnF as the Connectivity partner, and the MBA Association, University of Chittagong (MAUC) as the strategic partner.
Notably, the Chittagong University Debating Society (CUDS) was founded in 1996 to foster debaters and create an atmosphere for debate to promote students' intellectual and cognitive growth. This is the next step in the campaign to raise awareness in society's younger generation.
