Speech and Debate India has launched the first-of-its-kind Debate Academy, taught exclusively by U.S. instructors.
The academy aims to nurture students in six divisions – Grades 1-2: YE (Young Explorers), Grade 3: JES (Junior Elementary School), Grades 4-5: ES (Elementary School), Grade 6: JMS (Junior MS) or MS (Middle School), Grades 7-8: MS (Middle School) and Grades 9-12: HS (High School) from top international and other schools across India. Moreover, it offers a real-world approach, using games and challenges in courses such as Global Leadership 2.0 to engage in debate drills and practices, while gradually imparting theory and encouraging self-reflection, discussions, and articulation of evidence-based reasoning.
The Debate Academy is the brainchild of noted two-year consecutive U.S. State Debate Champion (in the late 1980s), Stanford University and Goldman Sachs alumnus, and the Founder of Speech and Debate India, Rajiv Kacholia.
The formation of the U.S. research-backed Debate Academy prepares students to advance academics, 21st century life skills, and engage socially with rigorous training at a formative age to advance their holistic learning ahead of the traditional educational curriculum in IB, IGCSE, CBSE, ICSE, and other boards. The interdisciplinary debate courses will dive deep into each engaging topic area such as Current Events, Global Leadership, Climate Change, Technology & AI, Entrepreneurship, Arts, Cognitive Psychology, College Admissions, and more. Kids are challenged to evaluate evidence from multiple perspectives beyond their personal opinions to develop an appreciation for alternative viewpoints grounded in research.
