CHAPTER 122: CHAPTER 122: INTERPELLATION 1

Hearing what his teacher said, Andre nodded and tried to recall the key points from Celeste’s speech.

Jeff and the others had reminded him that he should at least try to question the reasoning behind her statements and see whether they truly held up.

"You said that many senior high school graduates still struggle to find work, right?" he asked.

Celeste gave a small nod in reply.

"But isn’t it also true that the program offers technical-vocational tracks meant to help with employment? Like, doesn’t that mean it still gives opportunities, just maybe not for everyone?"

The question came out sounding more like a gentle agreement than a challenge.

It was as if he had just restated her point before politely asking if she might still be right.

Jeff sighed as he watched the scene unfold, "He should’ve gone for a follow-up that challenged the outcome, not just agreed halfway. Celeste’s gonna walk all over that," he muttered inwardly.

And he was right, the moment he asked that Celeste directly walked over that.

"You’re right that the K to 12 program includes technical-vocational tracks and yes, that should help students find jobs." as she made a no.1 sign.

"But the reality is, most of those skills are only helpful if companies recognize them." She said as she looked at the classmates.

"Many students graduate with those certificates but still get turned away because employers either don’t honor them or still require a college degree. And even those with a college diploma often struggle to get hired without prior experience.

So even if the opportunities look promising on paper, they don’t always work out in real life, and that’s the problem we’re pointing out." she said as she finished answering the question.

"So now she’s dragging college into this? Smart move. You can twist it to make the system look useless even beyond senior high. But also kind of a stretch," Jeff thought inwardly.

"So if I heard correctly, you mentioned that even college graduates still struggle to find jobs, right?"

"Yes, I said that."

"But wouldn’t that mean the issue isn’t just with K to 12, but with the job market itself? Like, is it really fair to blame the education system for that?"

"Huh... that is actually not bad." Jeff blinked, as he was surprised.

Since he can actually come up with a decent question, which proves he can think and plan if he ever wanted to.

Even though it is not groundbreaking, but it finally nudged the debate in the right direction.

"You’re right about the job market which is a big part of the problem. But that’s exactly why we should be more careful with how we design our education system."

"If we already know the market is tough, why are we making students go through two extra years when they still end up facing the same struggles?"

"Because isn’t K to 12 promised to fix that gap and to give students a better chance. But if it hasn’t delivered, then maybe the system itself needs to be rethought." she said receiving another clapped by the girl’s teams.

The boys were holding themselves back, knowing it was not their time to clap yet.

"Well, that’s another clever redirection," Jeff thought as he crossed his arms.

"She admitted the market’s a problem, but still spun it back on K to 12, painting it like a failed promise."

"It sounds convincing, but she’s oversimplifying. The truth is, no program can fix a broken job market on its own. Which is a pretty good comeback later"

"So then instead of removing K to 12 completely, do you think it would be better if we just fixed the parts that aren’t working?"

Andre asked, speaking the first thing that came to his mind.

Jeff tilted his head, clearly surprised by what kind of drugged his friend just swallowed.

"Okay, now that’s better," Jeff thought.

"That’s the kind of question that corners the other side without sounding aggressive. It’s subtle, and if Celeste agrees to fix it instead of removing it, she weakens her whole team’s stand. If she says no, she risks sounding unreasonable. That’s a pressure move, finally."

Jeff was genuinely impressed, but only because it came from Andre.

If it had been said by anyone else, he probably would not have reacted the same way.

The fact that his braindead friend just asked a strategic question that challenged the opposing side’s stance without sounding aggressive made it even more shocking.

It showed that Andre actually had a talent for asking questions when he was at least taking it seriously.

If he’s thinking was right this question will force her to choose between looking reasonable which is agreeing that fixing is better or staying consistent which is sticking to removal even if it sounds too extreme.

It’s a soft trap, not a direct attack. Unlike aggressive rebuttals, this question sounds polite and open-minded, which makes it harder to recognize as a strategic pressure point.

That means someone who’s well-spoken but unprepared for that exact framing may hesitate, even briefly.

Because sometime debaters often prepare only for extreme positions.

Most arguments are built around opposing ideas like this right now which are ’Keep K to 12’ vs. ’Remove it’

But this question throws in a third path and that is called reform.

If Celeste didn’t prepare counterpoints for that middle ground, she might stumble trying to defend her original stance without sounding too rigid.

Celeste who was about to reply paused for a bit and just for a second her

mind was in a sudden turmoil.

"W-well, I mean..." She stuttered this time which made the boys eyes lit up.

"I’m not trying to say that the program can’t be improved," she started, her tone slightly less confident than before.

"But... the point is that the foundation itself is flawed. Fixing it might not be enough if it’s already causing widespread issues. So removing it would... would give us a chance to start fresh with a better system."

"Since we can’t patch something that’s broken at its core, right?" she said.

...

1st: Special thanks to ’Essos👑’ – the GOAT of the month, for both the rewarding gifts and golden tickets! Much love, brotha!

2nd: Big thanks to ’Pat_funding👑’ for the unwavering support since the very start of my journey and for the golden tickets and gifts!

3rd: Special shoutout to ’Devon1234👑’ – The same GOAT of this month, for all the amazing gifts! You’re absolutely RAD!