Princess Margaret Secondary School Wins Republic Bank World Meteorological Day Debate Competition in Barbados

The Princess Margaret Secondary School has claimed first place in the inaugural Republic Bank World Meteorological Day Debate Competition. The finals were held on Wednesday, March 26, at the Department of Emergency Management, Warrens Industrial Park, Warrens, St Michael.

The competition was open to secondary school students and formed part of the Barbados Meteorological Services’ week of activities to observe World Meteorological Day, celebrated annually on March 23. The theme for the week was Closing the Early Warning Gap Together.

Four schools participated in the competition: Princess Margaret, The Lodge School, Christ Church Foundation School and Harrison College. After two preliminary rounds, Princess Margaret and Harrison College advanced to the finals.

Republic Bank (Barbados) Limited was proud to sponsor this competition that gave students an opportunity to have a say on this topic of national importance, said the bank’s Marketing Officer – Communications, Sharon Howell. “From extreme weather events like a freak storm to increasingly heated days, climate change is no doubt having a significant impact on our island. As the next generation of leaders, it is important that we give our young people a chance to help find solutions to the challenges we face.”

She said sponsoring the Met Services’ competition fits well within Republic Bank’s corporate social responsibility programme, the Power to Make a Difference (PMAD), since the competition serves to educate children on sustainable ways to mitigate risks and find solutions to “Closing the Early Warning Gap”.

PMAD has as one of its main pillars a focus on youth development through education, culture and the arts. Furthermore, Republic Bank will be focusing on sustainability over a five-year period.

Competition moderator Cherise Brathwaite said the Barbados Meteorological Services had paid particular attention in recent years to strengthening the country’s early warning capabilities, teaming up with partners such as the Department of Emergency Management and the Barbados Government Information Service.

“Because of these strong relations, Barbados proudly stands as one of the first 30 nations globally to implement a comprehensive multi-hazard early warning system under the United Nations’ Early Warnings For All initiative,” Brathwaite said.

The finalists debated the topic: Are Barbadians Ready to React to Meteorological and Hydro-meteorological Hazards? Princess Margaret argued for, while the Harrisonians argued against. The three-member teams presented opening remarks, rebuttals and closing remarks.