Waagsara Debate Competition – 2025

The annual debate competition organized by the Economics Association of the Department of Economics was held in three stages. The organization of the 2025 Waagsara Debate Competition began on February 10, 2025, with six teams registering for the tournament. Two awards were presented: Best Debate Team, selected by the panel of judges, and Most Popular Debate Team, chosen through preference voting held from February 26 to March 15, 2025. Team Seekers won the Most Popular Debate Team award with 16,670 votes.

The first round of the competition took place on February 28, 2025, at 8:30 AM at the Department of Economics. Topics included the impact of the IMF program on Sri Lanka’s economic development, the role of the 2025 budget in economic recovery, and the influence of globalization on developing countries. Four teams—Team Seekers, Team Veritas, Team Verbal Gladiators, and Team Verba—advanced to the second round.

The semi-finals were held on March 18, 2025, at 8:30 AM. Debate topics included the suitability of a floating exchange rate policy for Sri Lanka and the importance of foreign direct investment for economic growth. Team Seekers and Team Verbal Gladiators advanced to the final round.

The final round occurred on April 2, 2025, at noon, under Thrimana Phase 2. The debate topic was Sri Lanka’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions in support of global climate change mitigation. Team Seekers emerged as the champions of the 2025 Waagsara Debate Competition, with Team Verbal Gladiators finishing as runners-up.