You are a speaker in an inter-school debate on the topic: “It is better to attend a school near your home than One outside your neighbourhood”. Write your speech for or against the proposition.

Sample Answer

Mr, Chairman, Distinguished Listeners, Ladies and Gentlemen, I say good day to you all. I rise at this August occasion to move the motion which states that: It is better to attend A school near Your home than one outside your neighbourhood. My stand is based on the points discussed below.

First, there is no traffic problem when one attends a school near one’s home. In cities like Lagos, Ibadan, Kano and Kaduna, traffic jam makes students to get to their schools late. At times, students get to school after two hours of lessons. Consequently, the students are given corporal punishment which acts as a cog in the wheel of progress of the affected students as it leads to falling standard of education. Ladies and Gentlemen, living near one’s school will prevent truancy. In short, there is punctuality to school.

Unnecessary transportation fare is out of the way when one attends a school near one’s home. In cities like Lagos and Kaduna transport fare is too high. In Lagos alone, a journey from Agege to University of Lagos costs as much as five hundred naira to and fro. That means, it costs thirty five thousand naira weekly and over fifteen thousand naira monthly. At the end of the day, the cost of transportation alone is higher than tuition fee. The fare is higher during fuel scarcity. The alternative is to rent a room and rentage in Lagos is the highest in the country.

A child who lives near the school he attends is more beneficial to the family than a child who attends school far away from home. A child whose school is near his home will wake up early to help the parents to wash their cars, cook, sweep and mop before going to school, while a child who goes to school outside his neighbourhood will have to wake up as early as 4:30 a.m to beat the traffic jam. Many a time, he would sleep while lessons are going on, whereas the one who attends nearby school will have full concentration on his studies.

Parental care is enjoyed for students who attend school near their homes. Their parents will monitor their movement and prevent them from joining bad gangs. Such students cannot join secret cults. This is very much unlike students who attend schools far away. The latter are either living in hostels or rent houses on their own. This is the major factor responsible for cultism in schools. School children believe in the adage that ‘out of site is out of mind’. So they misbehave as soon as they leave their parents. Students who are far removed from their parents indulge in bad habits such as s*****g, drug abuse and secret cult. We all know that bad company corrupts good manners.

In conclusion, there is no doubt in my mind that I have been able to convince the audience including the learned opponent and of course the doubting Thomases that it is better to attend a school near one’s home than to attend a school outside ones neighborhood.

I thank you very much for giving my speech attentive audience.