The recent presidential debate the Kenya Editors’ Guild and the Media Council of Kenya organised attracted immense interest from Kenyans. It didn’t matter the different political positions of the candidates. They articulated themselves on the various policy issues, problems and challenges facing Kenya.

Thanks to the organisers, millions of Kenyans watched and listened as the candidates explained their take on the questions the panellists asked them to tackle.

At a personal level, the debate reminded me of the first debating experience in my primary school days. Every Thursday, Class Six and Seven pupils held debate sessions after the official class hours. The topic or what was then called motion would be communicated earlier in the week. The motion required some of us to support and others oppose. We were required to research on the topic before the D-day.

We found the sessions educational and entertaining. They gave us an opportunity to express ideas and feelings about the topics, drawn from our social cultural environment and experience. The debates were challenging but gave us a chance to argue and to build up our confidence. The different viewpoints meant we were to think hard about the reasons for defending or opposing the viewpoint.

For whatever other reasons schools exist, they primarily exist to nurture the foundations of a child’s education. They exist to develop children’s foundational skills: basic literacy, numeracy and transferable skills. These are the building blocks for a life of learning. Debate in schools test and stretch problem solving, analytical reasoning, critical thinking, leadership and communication skills in learners.

Debates also build the esteem of learners. It was those raw beginnings that are responsible for my fascination with argumentation, discussion and persuasion.

I don’t know, but somewhere through my eclectic reading interest, I chanced on two of the greatest debates politicians have ever had. All of them concern politics in the US. The first was the controversy over the ratification of the US Constitution. Three US founding fathers—John Jay and Alexander Hamilton—wrote articles in the newspapers of the time, defending the new Constitution and urging the delegates to ratify it. We had other equally great intellects who opposed the proposed law and wrote articles and gave speeches in the various legislatures against its ratification.

The second great debating is what historians call the Lincoln-Douglas debates. The debate, was between the Democratic senator Stephen A Douglas and Republican challenger Abraham Lincoln during the 1858 Illinois senatorial campaign, largely concerning the issue of slavery extension into the territories.

The other debate of lasting educational value to me and others who have come across it is from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The “debate” concerns whether it was right to assassinate Caesar. We have Brutus delivering the little known speech “Hear me for my cause” providing justification for the killing of Caesar, whom he argues had become a dictator. Brutus not only participated, but he is the one who stabbed and killed him.

And we have Mark Anthony’s “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him,” denouncing the killing of Caesar. Students of Literature know what happens thereafter. Tears and blood.

Suffice it to say the presidential debate we witnessed was, in many ways, useful to Kenyans. The voters, the ultimate masters of a country in a democracy, had the opportunity to see their leaders explain themselves to them.

For youthful Kenyans who will inherit the mantle of leadership from the current generation, it was an eye opener. Leadership of whatever kind needs education, knowledge, skill and intelligence. Appropriate preparation for it is required. If there is any lesson for youth from the debate, it is that: “You don’t stumble into leadership. You grow into leadership.” And the basic tool of leadership are words, words and more words.

Basic education institutions ought to reinforce and integrate debating in their programmes. A teacher claimed the mean score madness has killed debate clubs. Schools should not only support debate clubs, but also ensure every learner in the school participate in debate.

— The writer is Communications Officer, Ministry of Education