QatarDebate Center (QD), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), through its training of Team Qatar aims to equip debate students to represent the country at international championships and forums.
The coronavirus pandemic has changed methods of education, research and various activities. It has thus become necessary for QatarDebate Center to keep pace with developments in the country and globally without disrupting precautionary measures in Qatar.
The centre has started to conduct its activities remotely and continues to train the Qatar National English Debate Team, Qatar National Arabic Debate Team, as well as the junior team, all eager to represent Qatar at international forums.
The QD administration has taken the responsibility of preparing young talents to keep up with developments and changes.
Team Qatar training is designed to prepare the nation’s top school debaters to compete with the best from around the world at the World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC). Once intensive selections are complete, the team goes through rigorous training sessions. Not only must they learn to speak well by perfecting every aspect of their speaking skills, they must also become knowledgeable critical thinkers on a wide range of issues, be it social, political, moral or otherwise. 
In the end, the training programme creates batches of intellectual Qatari youth who can think quickly and speak with substance.
Mohamed Khider, Arabic debate instructor, QatarDebate, said: “The Qatar National Arabic debate team has continued its training through distance learning tools, even while the basic plan for Team Qatar training this season was limited to the end of March, with the end of the championship that they were preparing to participate in stopped due to the current situation. The main team members and a group of students insisted on continuing the weekly exercises remotely, where the team meets within a plan based on three hubs: debating skills workshops (advanced level), knowledge content development workshops, and practising debate.
“Team Qatar also participated in a remote public debate with the School Debate Team from Kuwait. The team will have many forthcoming debates with debaters from different countries in the coming period.”
Mubarrat Wassey, English debate instructor, QatarDebate, said: “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the in-person WSDC has been officially postponed to early 2021. 
“While this has been heartbreaking for everyone in the team preparing to compete, the Qatar National English debate team has rallied together tremendously well. Online trainings were conducted even before the final decision on the competition was taken, and even while in limbo, the children did not let their spirits falter. They were resilient and learned to cope with online trainings. Whatever is the outcome, it is a great source of pride and joy for me to train these bright children.”