PORTALJABAR, WEST BANDUNG REGENCY - The West Java Education Office has named the Bogor City team as the champion of the 2026 West Java Provincial Level Indonesian Debate Competition and is preparing representatives for the National Schools Debating Championship after the competition at SMAN 1 Lembang (27–28/6/2026).

The Bogor City team consisting of Samuel Nathan Andriawan, Christiano Immanuel Uniwaly, and Gracio Bintang Wijaya won first place after passing all rounds of the competition.

Second place was won by Depok City, followed by Cirebon City in third place and Sukabumi Regency in fourth place.

The committee also determined the 10 Best Speakers, with the top three representing West Java at the 2026 National Schools Debating Championship.

Gracio Bintang Wijaya became the Best Speaker with an average score of 71.70, followed by Samuel Nathan Andriawan with 70.70 and Christiano Immanuel Uniwaly with 70.60.

The Chair of the Jury for the 2026 West Java Indonesian Debate Competition, Regina Stephanie Wuisana, assessed this year's competition as the most competitive during her tenure as a judge.

"It has been three years since I started to judge LDI West Java Province, and I'm proud to say that this year has been the most competitive year I've ever judged," he said.

Regina emphasized that critical thinking skills, literacy, and consistent practice are the keys to a debater's success.

"The most important characteristic of a debater is not being afraid to lose. It's precisely from there that we learn, evaluate ourselves, and develop to become better," he said.

Head of the High School Development Division of the West Java Education Office, Ai Nurhasan, appreciated the participants' achievements and hoped that these achievements would inspire more students.

"Positive things like this need to be publicized to encourage our students to do the same. Goodness must be nurtured and disseminated," he said.

(West Java Communications and Information Service/bhf)