The 33-year-old has been a debate coach for almost 10 years now, having founded the English Debate Society at Poi Lam High School in Ipoh. When the pandemic set in, he began coaching online.
He has helped student debaters by paying for their transportation, accommodation, and registration fees, and donated thousands of ringgit to institutions like Universiti Teknologi Petronas and the Anglo-Chinese School in Ipoh to sponsor English debate competitions.
Chan first started debating when he was in high school himself. “I loved the idea that celebrated both the mastery of the language and our ability to have civil arguments,” he told FMT.
He described English debate in Malaysia as a “prestigious sport”, citing how earlier this year, Universiti Malaya beat the University of Tokyo in the United Asian Debating Championship.
The annual competition, which is held for university teams in Asia, has seen the likes of Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman among its winners.
Chan credited the high quality of debate in Malaysia to the legacy and tradition each generation leaves behind. “There are those who were experienced debaters themselves, who come back to pass on their knowledge and wisdom to the younger ones,” he explained.
At the same time, he highlighted a worrisome trend that, by his observations, has affected standards in his home state. According to Chan, many organisers of English-language high school competitions in Perak do not hire experienced debaters to present motions or adjudicate the contests.
Consequently, he said, many adjudicators only take into account “performative” public-speaking metrics such as punctuation, vocabulary and dramatic flair.
Chan said he has encountered instances where adjudicators did not comprehend the arguments presented, or where students had to “dumb down” their speeches to be understood.
“It’s sad to see something like this in Malaysia, a country that is viewed as a formidable opponent in the English debating international circuit,” he stated.
‘An incorrect narrative’
To address these issues, Chan said invited judges must have debating and adjudication accomplishments on their resumes, and should also be paid to encourage their participation and accountability.
Furthermore, he said, adjudicators should constantly be peer-assessed, and those with less adjudication experience should be trained by sitting on a panel with those who are more experienced.
“I understand that hiring credible adjudicators from universities with debating teams costs money,” he said, “but if this trend continues, it perpetuates an incorrect narrative for students on what debating is truly like in other parts of Malaysia and around the world.”
Chan said that through debating, students reap benefits in the areas of public speaking, research methodology, and critical thinking.
As such, he said it was important that things improve in his home state and elsewhere in the country where unqualified persons are invited to judge debates. He said that if not, “there will be children who could be better versions of themselves but are denied the opportunity to do so, because of how inaccurately represented debating truly is”.
To that end, he said educational institutions, the education ministry, as well as parents have a part to play in ensuring the standard of debate is uplifted.
“Parents should encourage their children by sending them for additional debate sessions,” Chan suggested, acknowledging that the barrier of entry is high as students must have a good mastery of the English language, as well as be financially able to consistently participate in competitions.
He shared that many of his students have realised the benefits of their debating experience when they were required to do presentations at the tertiary level.
“I feel very proud of them,” Chan concluded. “I only understood the benefits of debating later on in life, during my first two years of coaching, and this has made me see that children can experience this sooner.”
If you would like to contact Chan for debate guidance and coaching, call 018-5776069.