3rd Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Eight Chinese Independent Secondary Schools Combined English Forum 2015

Reported by ELC

      The 3rd Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Eight Chinese Independent Secondary Schools Combined English Forum 2015 was held successfully at the YTL Hall on 8th August 2015 from 9.00am to 2.25pm. Hin Hua High School won the First Runner-up and the Best Speaker Award. This competition was organized by the United Chinese School Committees Association of Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur and co-organised by Hin Hua High School, Klang.

       The objectives of this forum competition are to improve English proficiency, particularly in their speaking skills amongst students in the Independent   Chinese Secondary Schools, to provide an opportunity for students to display their public speaking talents, to provide a platform for interactions between students and to raise students’ awareness on current and social issues. 

       To grace the occasion, an esteemed panel of adjudicators were invited, namely Dr. Cheah Swi Ee ((Associate Dean of Postgraduate, Research & Innovation, School of Education, Taylor’s University), Mr. Ong Ee Seng ( Lecturer, New Era College) and Ms Irene Wong Poh Sim (Principal Trainer cum Head of Operations of ATCEN Learning Centre). 

      In the first round, the first four schools presented their topics on stage, namely, the Confucian Private   Secondary School with their topic, ‘Juvenile crime in Malaysia’, followed by Chung Hwa Independent High School, with their topic, ‘The impacts of Korean culture in Malaysia’, then Kwang Hua (Private) High School, with their topic on ‘Social capital punishment’ and     finally, Tsun Jin High School, with their topic, ‘Factors affecting teenagers’ lifestyle’. After a short break at 11a.m. the second round of deliberation started with the host school, Hin Hua High School, with their topic, ‘Should gambling be legalised?’, which was then followed by Pin Hwa High School, on their topic, ‘Lifestyle’, Kuen Cheng High School with their topic, ‘Earthquake’ and Chong Hwa Independent High School, KL on ‘Love is a state of vulnerability’. 

     Unlike past events, this year, one question was posed to every participating team by an adjudicator to validate the teams’ understanding of their  topics at the end of their presentation. Each member of the team took turns to respond to the question, whilst the chairperson summarised and concluded the team’s responses. It was indeed exciting to see the participants respond to the question with their original point of view fluently. 

    During the closing ceremony, Mr Er Juan, member of the Board and Chairman of Hin Hua  Alumni Association, was called  upon to deliver his speech. Mr Er Juan in his greeting, spoke of his support on the objectives of the forum competition and reiterated the importance of English as a  common means of communication in many parts of the world which he gave several examples. He ended his speech by congratulating everyone present for making a difference through the competition. 

        The second speaker, Dr. Yap Sin Tian, the chairman of the United Chinese School Committees Association of Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, extended his appreciation to Hin Hua High School, participating schools and individuals, for their efforts and contribution in  making the event a success. He elaborated that since English is a global language, it is essential for students to possess a good command of the language in securing opportunities for further studies and therefore it is vital to  establish a good foundation in the language while one is still in school. He concluded his speech with the advice that students should practise the knowledge that they have acquired in school in order to benefit society, at large. 

       The third and final speaker, Dr. Cheah Swi Ee, who was the chief judge, gave feedback on the teams’ performances, she stressed on a few key points that she felt that all participants should take note of. She reminded participants to choose their contents wisely, one which they could personally relate to and able to elaborate when questions arose. She also encouraged them to enrich their knowledge and language through reading and interaction with parents and other people. The participants should also avoid surface comments and regurgitating of information, as the contents should be approached with respect, supported with evidence and the topics addressed creatively. She congratulated the participants for using proper pronunciation and enunciation in their delivery. Dr. Cheah also added that participants should speak naturally and avoid  over-accentuation. She reminded the participants to state the role of each panelist clearly at the start so as to create awareness and purpose of their topics. She praised all the chairpersons for their excellent execution and commended every team for striving to be excellent orators. 

     Travis Ching Jia Yea, from S2 Adelaide of Hin Hua High School won the Best Speaker award and the ‘Best Chairperson’ was awarded to Bryan Phon Wee Hao of Kuen Cheng High School. The Champion’s title was  received by Kuen Cheng High School, followed by the First Runner-Up award to Hin Hua High School and the Second Runner-Up to Chong Hwa Independent High School, KL. All the winners beamed with great delight as they came up on-stage to receive their prizes.

         The forum competition ended gracefully on a positive note, with appreciation and recognition to all teachers, volunteers, helpers, participating teams and their supporters from the eight schools for their sincere efforts in making the competition a successful event.

Travis Ching Jia Yea (S2 Adelaide)

“I didn't know about the Forum Competition until Ms. Juliana told me about it. I was hesitant at first but I felt that this is a great chance to learn and experience. On the day of the competition, I think we did great, there was team chemistry and the laughter and  support from the audience calmed my nerves and it was just a very good time on stage. Getting 2nd prize and best speaker was     unexpected but I believe it is the reward of our effort.” 

Lim Jade (S1 Melbourne)

“This year was my very first time representing Hin Hua High School in an   interschool competition. And everything, from our practices to the actual competition, was a great experience and added many memories to my life as a student in Hin Hua. Of course, I wish we could’ve won the Champion, but after all the effort and hard work we put together, 2nd place was also worthwhile. This competition really bombarded my world with many new and wonderful experiences. As a saying goes, ‘The strength of a team is its members, and the strength of each member is the team’.”  

Phang De Yuan (S2 Adelaide)

“Extraordinary. No many words can be used to describe this experience, and extraordinary is one of them. To be able to represent the school in an interschool competition is  likely to be my greatest achievement for the longest time, and it is an  honour to be able to show all those other schools what Hin Hua is capable of. Lovely cooperation with my partners in arms, couldn’t have done it without any of you. Really enjoyed the whole process. Electrifying.”