French flair earns Perse pair a place in national debating finals

5 Feb 2020

Hari Prasad and Kilian Meissner (both Upper Sixth) will display their fluency in French debating on the national stage after qualifying for the Joutes Oratoires Lyceennes final.

The Perse students were runners-up in the Year 13 category at the national French debating finals last year while still in the Lower Sixth and a year younger than their opponents. They will be aiming to go one better this time around at the French Institute in London on 20 March.

Hari and Kilian made it through by winning the regional round, beating teams from The Leys and Hills Road Sixth Form College in the opening stages before defeating another Hills Road pair in the final.

Motions debated included ‘AI (artificial intelligence) is a threat to mankind’, ‘vegetarianism will save the planet’, and ‘using surrogate mothers should be legalised in France’.

Meanwhile, Matthew Ferguson and Daniel Rix won the Year 11 regional inter-school French debating competition after taking the Year 10 honours in 2019. They were victorious against Bishop’s Stortford College after considering whether ‘Instagram can destroy the life of young people’ and should ‘drinking age should be raised to 21’.