On Tuesday, the Caribbean Union Bank Inter-secondary School Debate Championship concluded at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, with St. Joseph’s Academy making history by retaining its coveted championship title. The year’s final showdown, organized by the Education Broadcasting Unit under Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministry of Education, drew widespread attention as two top-tier secondary school teams went head-to-head for the regional crown. St. Joseph’s Academy edged out runner-up Sir Novelle Richards Academy in a tightly contested exchange of arguments centered on a timely regional policy question.
This year’s final debate centered on a provocative moot tailored to spark critical engagement with Caribbean regional integration: “CARICOM offers the best option for Member States to maintain their sovereignty.” Sir Novelle Richards Academy took the stage first to advocate for the proposition, making the case that collective governance and economic coordination through the Caribbean Community provide small island nations with the collective bargaining power and institutional stability to protect their sovereign autonomy in an increasingly polarized global landscape. Opposing the motion, St. Joseph’s Academy put forward a nuanced argument highlighting structural limitations of the current CARICOM framework that can constrain national policy flexibility, ultimately convincing the panel of adjudicators of their position to secure the win.
In an official statement released shortly after the final results were announced, competition organizers extended formal congratulations to St. Joseph’s Academy for its successful title defense, a rare achievement that underscores the school’s consistent investment in debate and critical thinking education. Organizers also made a point to commend Sir Novelle Richards Academy for what they described as “outstanding performance throughout the season and in today’s finals,” noting that the team’s preparation and rhetorical skill made the final one of the most competitive in recent years. The Ministry of Education echoed this praise, highlighting that both finalist teams displayed the core values of the competition: “excellence, discipline, and the true spirit of debate.”
Now in its annual cycle, the Inter-secondary School Debate Championship fills a unique niche in Caribbean secondary education. Beyond the thrill of competition, the event was designed to foster core transferable skills that benefit students long after they leave the debate stage: rigorous critical thinking, structured research, confident public speaking, and the ability to engage respectfully with opposing viewpoints. Equally importantly, the competition intentionally centers topical regional and civic issues in its moot selection, encouraging a new generation of young Caribbean people to think deeply about the policy choices that will shape the future of their region.
This repeat win cements St. Joseph’s Academy’s reputation as a dominant force in regional secondary school debate, and organizers have already signaled that next year’s competition will expand participation to include more schools across the Caribbean, continuing the event’s mission of building capacity for civic engagement among young people.