You are the chief speaker in a debate on the topic: It is the home and not the school that contributes more to moral laxity among students. Write your argum...

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Debate speech: "It is the home and not the school that contributes more to moral laxity among students"

A debate must open with the correct address of the officials and audience, state clearly whether you are speaking for or against the motion, present well-arranged arguments, and end with a strong summing-up. The model below argues for the motion (that the home is the greater cause).

Mr Chairman, accurate timekeeper, panel of impartial judges, my co-debaters, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I stand before you today to speak in support of the motion which states that it is the home, and not the school, that contributes more to moral laxity among students.

My first and strongest argument is that the home is the child's first school and the parents his first teachers. Long before a child ever sets eyes on a classroom, his character has already been shaped by what he sees and hears at home. A child who grows up watching his parents lie, cheat or quarrel will carry those habits into the school. As the saying goes, charity begins at home, and so, sadly, does moral decay.

Secondly, children spend far more of their lives at home than in school. School lasts only a few hours a day and closes for long holidays, but the home surrounds the child from birth. It is therefore illogical to blame the school, which has the child briefly, rather than the home, which has him constantly.

Thirdly, many parents have abandoned their duty of moral training. Some are too busy chasing money to correct their children; others pamper them, hand them mobile phones without supervision, and shield them from every punishment. A child who is never disciplined at home cannot suddenly become disciplined in school.

Fourthly, the values a school teaches are quickly destroyed if the home contradicts them. A teacher may preach honesty in the morning, but if a father sends his son to buy stolen goods that evening, the lesson is lost. The home has the final word in shaping the child's conscience.

Mr Chairman, the opposition may argue that bad company in school corrupts good manners. Yet I ask: who allowed the child to keep such company in the first place? A child firmly grounded in good values at home resists the pull of bad friends. The root of the matter remains the home.

In conclusion, distinguished audience, since the home comes first, lasts longest and lays the foundation of character, it is clear beyond doubt that the home, and not the school, contributes more to moral laxity among students. I therefore urge this house to support the motion. Thank you.