One of Antigua and Barbuda’s most anticipated annual academic competitions is set to reach its climax next week, when two top secondary schools go head-to-head in the 2025 Caribbean Union Bank Inter-secondary School Debate Grand Final. Scheduled for Tuesday, May 26 at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, the event will bring together the nation’s most talented young debaters to tackle one of the Caribbean’s most pressing contemporary policy issues: regional sovereignty and integration.
This year’s final has already drawn widespread interest for its timely topic. The moot up for discussion is: “CARICOM offers the best option for Member States to maintain their sovereignty.” Defending the proposition will be Sir Novelle Richards Academy, one of the country’s leading academic institutions with a long history of strong performance in regional debate competitions. Taking the opposing side will be St. Joseph’s Academy, which has advanced to the final after a series of closely contested preliminary rounds that showcased its students’ sharp analytical and rhetorical skills.
The in-person event is set to kick off at 4 p.m. local time at the UWI Five Islands Campus, which has hosted multiple major national academic events in recent years. For audiences unable to attend the final in person, the Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Education’s Education Broadcasting Unit will stream the entire competition live via its official channels, allowing debate enthusiasts and students across the country to follow the showdown in real time.
Event organizers note that this final represents far more than a simple student competition. Beyond awarding bragging rights and a championship trophy, the contest is designed to nurture core 21st-century skills among young people. Competitors are required to conduct in-depth independent research on regional policy, craft evidence-based arguments, and respond to counterpoints in real time—all of which builds critical thinking, public confidence, and emerging leadership capabilities, according to event backers.
The Inter-secondary School Debate competition has become a staple of Antigua and Barbuda’s secondary education calendar, anchored in a long-term initiative by local education leaders to boost youth engagement with civic issues. By encouraging structured, evidence-based discourse on public policy topics, the program aims to cultivate a new generation of informed, articulate citizens prepared to contribute to national and regional development. Organizers expect this year’s final to set a new benchmark for the competition, with both finalist teams preparing extensively for what many are calling one of the most competitive championship rounds in the event’s recent history.