WHEN I first came to know of SMK Sri Permata, it was not under the best of conditions. My daughter D. Radhika had been attending the school for two years and I was unhappy with her progress and there were incidences of unruliness and bad behaviour among the older students in that school.
But at that time, one outstanding teacher, Nallini Letchmanan, stood out and she persuaded Radhika to join the Sri Permata Debate Team and I breathed a sigh of relief at that time as I knew debate was an outstanding extra-curricular activity and a lot of research goes into the debate topics and students could be transformed into champions, both in terms of the competition and also their fighting spirit.
“I established the Sri Permata Debate team in 2007, upon the request of the Form 5 students of the school that year. I felt Sri Permata students had a lot of talent to be tapped and the students needed guidance. Thus began the start of our debating journey,” said Nallini, who was assisted by another teacher who was equally passionate about debate, Bhavani Sundram.
Today, as Nallini looks back on the achievements of her students, the Sri Permata Debate Team had beaten the odds to make a name for themselves, not only at the national level but also in the international arena, winning the Asians Schools Debating Championship both in 2012 and 2015.
That gave the edge to the Sri Permata debaters to be selected to represent Malaysia, and Kelvin Manuel Pillay represented Malaysia, in the World Schools Debating Championship in 2012 hosted by South Africa. Kishen Sivabalan and Siddharta Adaikalairaj represented Malaysia in the same championships hosted in Germany in 2016. Kishen then went on to be placed 7th in the world in the native speakers category.
Apart from that, Sri Permata was also National Champion for the Tan Sri Dato’ Wira Abdul Rahman Hj Arshad Debate Cup 2016.
“All my debaters have excelled and topped their classes. Their success at debate not only spurred them on, but gave them a sense of pride and achievement to also excel in their studies. However, to succeed in the international debating scene is an achievement to be proud of as it is nothing short of gruesome, painstaking hard work and hours and hours of practice,” explained Nallini, who still coaches the debating team today.
Rabin Suguna Balan, who was captain of the debate team in 2009, went on to further his studies in chemical engineering and finally was chosen as a valedictorian at Oxford University, where he graduated at the top of his class.
From what was once regarded as a mediocre school, Sri Permata transformed itself into the school of choice for students talented in the art of debate, with the dedication and effort of one teacher who dared to dream. – The Vibes, May 22, 2021
