Empowering Sri Lankan students through Debate and Social-Emotional learning

Learn for Life Lanka is proud to announce its partnership with Debate Mate, a globally reputed leader in transformative debating programmes. The partnership began with a pilot programme aimed at empowering 250 underprivileged students from low-income schools in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, 60 teachers from schools and community centres also received specialised training. The initiative is designed to develop essential skills such as listening, speaking and thinking in students to help boost their confidence and prepare them for success in the future.

As part of this programme, students and teachers from 18 schools in the Serendib Schools Development Foundation (SSDF), St. Anthony’s Balika, Dematagoda and selected trainers from the Foundation of Goodness participated in an intensive training programme which took place at the Khairiya Muslim Girls College over a period of one week.

The programme concluded with a competition that saw students showcasing what they had learned. The overall goal of this initiative is to equip students with valuable skills and to inspire the wider communities to believe that anyone can learn these essential life skills. The Debate Mate Team in charge of training students, teachers and facilitating the competition included Abby McGovern, Elissa Abbara, Sidharth Harigovind, Dale Connelan and Alia Chohan, who flew in from London.

The partnership between Learn for Life Lanka and Debate Mate was formed based on a shared vision to enrich the skills of local students. Debate Mate is an employability programme that leverages debating to teach students essential skills. The programme has impacted over 65,000 young people around the world, and helps develop critical thinking, creativity, empathy, resilience, leadership, teamwork and confidence. Debate Mate’s training programme is also looking into the possibilities of spreading its global expertise further by training corporate employees in Sri Lanka as well.

Learn for Life Lanka was founded by Murtaza and Avanti Esufally, with a focus on improving social and emotional (SEL) learning among local youth. Their 30-hour programme covers a variety of topics including Growth Mindset, Learning How to Learn, Financial Literacy, Positive Relationships, and Emotional Regulation. As crucial as these skills are for success, they are often neglected in traditional education systems. The partnership with Debate Mate is ideal as it combines Debate Mate’s proven methods with Learn for Life Lanka’s tailored curriculum.

Murtaza Esufally, Co-Founder of Learn for Life Lanka, said, “We’ve had a great time working with Debate Mate through Learn for Life Lanka. We’re excited to see how their expertise in 21st-century skills, combined with our social-emotional learning programs, will empower our students and bridge the gap between education and future leadership.”

Abby McGovern, Director of Education UK, from the Debate Mate team, said, “We’re honoured to partner with Learn for Life Lanka to develop strong, confident young leaders in Sri Lanka. By teaching students essential debating skills, we’re helping them unlock their potential, empower their futures, and become the change-makers of tomorrow.”