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Welcome
History and Vision
The Indian Schools Debating Society (ISDS) is a not-for-profit organization that started out as a small group of five schools that came together in Chennai in 2008 as part of Mr. Venketrama Raja and Mrs. Nirmala Raja’s larger vision to inculcate debate in core school curricula in India. Students from these schools were selected and trained to represent India at the World Schools Debating Championships by international debate coaches.
Over the years, ISDS has transformed from being a small society of schools in Chennai to a full-fledged academy that has reached students in over 1700 students through our selections, courses, and workshops each year in over 15 cities[1]. We are supported by a team of home-grown alumni and trainers, and international advisors.
Our vision is to:
‘Transform young school students across India from diverse backgrounds through debate to think critically, communicate effectively, and lead with courage’.
[1] A majority of our students have come from these cities – a number of our other students come from multiple other cities in India
Why Debate
Our tool of change is competitive debate, because we believe debate can create confident and collaborative communicators who can evaluate positions from different perspectives respectfully. It empowers students through knowledge and encourages them to be action and solution oriented in the face of socio-economic and political challenges. Debate also creates enriching engagement with academic curricula, and helps students articulate themselves better in essays and interviews.
Our Strategic Priorities
1/ Student Engagement:
Each year, we want to invest students in debate and critical thinking through training, workshops, competitions, online engagement, etc. We already reach thousands of students, but we won’t rest until we grow to reach millions.
2/ Diversity and Inclusion:
We believe that strength lies in diversity of thought, background, and identity. We continually reflect on increasing this diversity within ISDS through the students we work with, our team of staff and coaches, and our curriculum.
3/ Competitive Excellence:
High quality and healthy competition can inspire and improve us. We work each year to enable our students excel domestically and internationally in competitions they participate in.
4/ Organisational Sustainability:
Self-improvement never sleeps – we will spare no effort in improving our organisation and ecosystem to ensure we are a lasting presence in the debate landscape in India.
Our Organisational Values
We are committed to displaying and inculcating three behaviours in all our work. [2]
1/ Hunger:
We set high expectations and raise aspirations for ourselves and our students. In reaching these, no challenge is too hairy, and difficult work is par for the course.
2/ Humility:
We understand and learn from our mistakes and successes. We are always open to feedback and take on important tasks regardless of the extent of spotlight they receive.
3/ People-smarts:
We care about people and relationships in our interactions. We work to display emotional intelligence and bring out the best in those we work with.
[2] Inspired by Patrick Lencioni’s ‘The Ideal Team Player (2016)
Our Successes
Along our journey, we have created a thriving school debating circuit in India, won the World Championship, developed our students into invested, supportive, and successful alumni. In 2018, Team India saw its first ever Grand Final at the World Schools Debating Championships, with Dhananjay Ashok from India being the first Indian speaker to win the World’s Best Speaker Award. In 2019, Team India won the World Championships (the first ever South Asian country to do so) with Tejas Subramaniam being adjudged the World’s Best Speaker.
ISDS at a Glance
*The World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC) is the most prestigious debating tournament for school students in the world, where students represent their countries
**The International Competition for Young Debaters (ICYD) is the largest, most prestigious under 15 debating tournament hosted by the Cambridge and Oxford Unions
Take a look at this feature on our Journey by The Wire:
ISDS: The Organisation Behind India’s Rise as Debating World Champions
Watch this speech by one of our head coaches and mentors, Sayeqa Islam, to know more about our initial years.
ISDS has represented India in several international debating competitions, including the World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC), since its inception in 2008. In 2019, Team India won the WSDC title in Bangkok, Thailand.
