DR submits bid to host the 2028 World Schools Debate Championship

Santo Domingo .- The Minister of Education, Luis Miguel De Camps, announced this Monday that the Dominican Republic has officially submitted its bid to become the host of the World Schools Debate Championship 2028, one of the most important student debate events in the world.

The announcement was made during the opening ceremony of the V National Debate Championship, where the official highlighted the growth that this initiative has experienced and the level reached by the students, teachers, coaches, and volunteers who participate in it.

“The growth of this circuit and the quality that you, students, teachers, volunteers, and coaches have demonstrated allows us to now take an important step. The Dominican Republic has officially submitted its bid to host the World Schools Debate Championship in 2028,” expressed De Camps.

The minister highlighted that debate teaches young people to understand different perspectives and to strengthen their analytical skills, an indispensable ability for democratic coexistence.

“Understanding a position does not necessarily mean accepting it; it means examining it seriously before judging it. That also forces us to look at each problem from a place other than our own,” he stated.

During his speech, De Camps reiterated that the National Debate Championship transcends an academic competition and represents a tool to form critical, participatory citizens committed to the strengthening of democracy.

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Likewise, he stated that these types of initiatives promote critical thinking, communication, listening skills, and the construction of solutions, which are fundamental competencies for the development of a more democratic and participatory society.

The V National Debate Championship, organized by the Student Leadership Program of the Ministry of Education (MINERD), brings together students from the country’s 18 educational regions, who compete after overcoming the district and regional phases and completing a specialized preparation process in argumentation and debate techniques.

For five days, 78 teams, made up of 234 students, will participate in several rounds of debate on topics of national and international interest. The national champions will represent the Dominican Republic in the next edition of the World Schools Debate Championship, scheduled to be held in Bulgaria in 2027.