Macao Polytechnic Institute held “The 2nd MPI Inter-Tertiary Portuguese Debating Competition” on 22 – 23 November 2011 at the MPI campus.  This debating contest is designed to enhance the Portuguese language abilities of Macao students and is an excellent opportunity for students to improve and deepen their language capacities in a lively and exciting context, calling upon them to make impromptu speeches, stretching their vocabulary and demanding accuracy in articulation and logic in situations similar to those they will face in their future professional careers. Thus students gain an excellent opportunity to clearly state their views, exchange ideas and explore their thoughts on contemporary global issues.

The contest is gradually being opened up to other tertiary institutions in Asia where Portuguese is being taught, aiming to create a network of contacts and a challenging exchange of experiences and knowledge between the participants with the Macao Polytechnic Institute as its centre and major coordinator.  ESLT students Ieong Man Chon, Wang Tianlong and Kong Ian I achieved an excellent result as second runner-up team in the debating competition.