Pupils debate internet access at Kildare semi-finals
Sara Reddy, Ellie Burke, Joanna Malicka and James Cassidy Winners Scoil Na Naomh Uilig Newbridge at the Concern Primary Debating semi-finals at Kildare Education Support Centre Photos: Jimmy Fullam
Kildare Education Support Centre, in partnership with Concern Worldwide, facilitated the 2025-2026 Primary Schools’ Debating Programme, with support from Kildare Library Service.
Concern Worldwide has been coordinating the Primary Debates since 2011, in conjunction with Education Support Centres across Ireland, in order to engage young people in a meaningful way with some of the complex issues we work with.
Primary debating is aimed at senior classes (4th to 6th) or for children aged approximately 10-12 years.
Debating can help develop self-confidence, promote active listening and provide a platform for the use of skills such as analysis, deductive reasoning and flexible thinking.
Debating is a fun, educational way of encouraging students to really engage with complex issues.
Learning to debate teaches students how to apply critical analysis and how to prepare an argument using facts and sound research. It also teaches students valuable communication skills, such as how to deliver a speech and how to effectively defend the points they make.
A total of 16 schools from all over the Kildare Education Support Centre region took part in our local programme.
Kildare ESC offers the SHIELD debates for the schools who get knocked out in the first-round of the event to ensure that all schools then get the opportunity to debate more than just once. The Shield debates run parallel to the Main debate.
The semi-finals is the first time that the competing teams have met face-to-face because up to now all debates have taken place online.
The motion for all semi-final debates (both the shield and main debates) was the ‘Universal internet access should be the world’s top goal in 2026’.
Pairings of the semi-finals were as follows: Scoil an Linbh Iosa, Ballycane, Naas (proposition) versus Scoil Bhride Lackagh (opposition) in the main debate with the Ballycane pupils qualifying for the final.
Bunscoil Bhríde, Rathangan emerged victorious in the other final opposing the motion against the proposers of Scoil Bhríde, Clane.
