Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 27 Jul: The Association of Schools for the Indian School Certificate (ASISC) conducted the Fr George Hess SJ Memorial English Debate Competitions 2026 (Junior & Senior Categories) on 25 July at St. Joseph’s Academy, here. The event commenced at 9:30 a.m. with a solemn prayer, followed by an introduction to the life and vision of Fr George Hess SJ, the founder of ASISC. The proceedings were conducted under the guidance of the Chairperson, Rekha Tandon, while the debates were adjudicated by a panel comprising Sandeep Rawat, Vanilla Kundlia and Alisha Ahuja.
The competition brought together talented young debaters from St George’s College, Shishya Public School and St Joseph’s Academy, celebrating the spirit of eloquence, critical thinking and healthy intellectual exchange.
The competition featured thought-provoking motions that challenged participants to analyse contemporary issues from diverse perspectives. The Junior Category debated the motion, “This House Believes That Social Media Platforms Have Made Today’s Children Smarter and More Skillful Than Their Parents”, while the Senior Category deliberated on “This House Believes That Women as Leaders Can Shape a Better Future”. Participants displayed remarkable confidence, depth of research, persuasive oratory and sharp rebuttal skills, making the debates intellectually stimulating and closely contested. The event served as a valuable platform for students to strengthen their analytical abilities, public speaking skills and appreciation for respectful disagreement.
Following the deliberations, the Best Speaker (For the Motion) Award in the Junior Category was awarded to Navya Joshi of St Joseph’s Academy while the Best Speaker (Against the Motion) was Anjaney Anugreh Bhardwaj, again of St Joseph’s Academy. In the Senior Category, the Best Speaker (For the Motion) was Aahana Bist of St Joseph’s Academy and the Best Speaker (Against the Motion) was Alia Bist, also of St. Joseph’s Academy.
The awardees earned the honour of qualifying to represent the zone at the ASISC District-Level Literary Competitions. The event concluded with the presentation of mementoes to the judges and a heartfelt vote of thanks by Principal, SJA, Brother Joseph M Joseph.
