Viewing archives for Debating & public speaking

Two visiting Old Elizabethans narrowly defeated the Sixth Form pair who proposed the motion, This House would rejoin the European Single Market, at The 59th Annual Elizabethan Union Dinner Debate.

The OE debating duo, Anish Kumar and Shubh Rathod (both 2017–2024), argued that the point was not to relitigate the 2016 referendum, but to recognise that the world has moved on, with Europe left behind, and that, therefore, there could be no going back.

In an evening packed with tradition, Year 13’s Sejal Bobba and Shreyas Chandrasekar proposed the motion. The 2025 School Captain, Simardeep Sahota, toasted the visitors, while Shubh gave the toast to the Elizabethan Union – QE’s debating society. There were also the customary toasts to His Majesty, The King and to The Pious Memory of Queen Elizabeth I.

The Dinner Debates began in the early 1950s. After not being held for around ten years, they were revived in 1985. Further cancellations were occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sejal began this year’s debate by noting that the Single Market is not the same as the European Union, since a participating country is not required to be in the customs union. Rejoining the single market would benefit the economy to the tune of £80–£90bn.

Anish, however, stated that having another referendum would reopen old problems, not least in Northern Ireland. The world is not moving towards Europe, but away from it, with other European countries and their economies struggling.

Shreyas urged looking to the future, not the past. Free movement would deal with labour shortages in the UK, and would help Europe, too. Since allies beyond Europe have become less reliable, we should stand with the European countries, he said.

Shubh, however, countered that leaving was difficult enough, so rejoining would be on unfavourable terms. He cited the significant amount the UK had to pay to rejoin the Erasmus scheme as a cautionary example. Our independence is helpful in giving the UK a measure of freedom in geopolitics and defence, and he noted the downsides of free movement in the context of refugee crises and instability.

A lively floor debate followed, during the course of which the proposers noted that net migration increased substantially after Brexit.

With an AI revolution looming, some of the sixth-formers present pointed to the way in which Britain leveraged its independence during the Industrial Revolution to its huge advantage, warning that making an economic commitment to Europe would compromise its ability to work effectively with economic giants including the US, China and India.

Others, however, stated that it is not possible to negotiate in good faith with the current leadership of the USA, or pointed to the ineluctable fact of continental Europe’s geographic proximity, with well over 40% of the UK’s import and exports still taking place with Europe.

The vote came down to a wafer-thin margin, with the motion defeated.

The pupils and OEs enjoyed a three-course dinner with a vegetarian option for the main course and sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel for dessert.

Year 12 pupil Yash Mehta took first place in a national speaking competition, winning a £10,000 prize and a handcrafted spear inlaid with 24-carat gold.

Yash was named Laureate after his speech on Education for all impressed judges at the inaugural Sovereign Minds SPEAR Oratory Prize Grand Final held at Church House in Westminster.

He was one of three QE sixth-formers to enter the competition – and all three achieved considerable success. Yash’s fellow Elizabethans, Year 13’s Laksh Aggarwal and Vyom Srivastava, of Year 12, were among just 25 young people to reach the semi-finals out of more than 2,000 entrants.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My hearty congratulations go to Yash on this very notable success. At QE, we are committed to promoting oracy and to nurturing deep thinkers and compelling communicators. Public-speaking competitions provide an excellent opportunity to develop such qualities, and Yash, Laksh and Vyom are to be commended on taking full advantage of this one.”

The competition, open to anyone aged 16–18, was run by Sovereign Minds, a UK-based educational initiative. Entrants were required to deliver a speech from memory on one Sovereign Minds’ ten SPEAR target subjects.

The five finalists’ speeches were judged by: Colonel (Retired) Lucy Giles, the first female commander at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst; Charlotte Horobin, CEO of the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, who sits on several business and academic advisory boards; and Dr Harshinder Malhi, who has over 40 years’ experience in education.

In the final, Yash delivered a ten-minute speech to an audience of 400 people. “I have seen how access to education can quietly shape confidence, ambition, and trust in what is possible. To me, education is the hidden engine behind innovation, economic growth, and human progress,” he said. He also spoke of his core belief that when everyone rises, the world accelerates and flourishes.

Yash plans to use the money to invest in a company that is making education more accessible.

Laksh, also speaking on Education for All, considered how education can tackle issues such as health and climate change. Laksh explained why he entered the competition: “Firstly to improve my own confidence in writing and giving a speech – and it’s an opportunity to learn more about the topic.”

Vyom’s speech was on the Peace & justice target subject. It focused on the importance of free speech in society, stressing people’s rights to voice their opinions free from government control.

The other SPEAR targets are:

• End poverty
• Improve health
• Eliminate hunger
• Future of work
• Protect our planet
• Equality everywhere
• Global cooperation
• Responsible consumption

One feature of the competition was that the latter stages were held in prestigious central London venues. The quarter-finals were in the Naval and Military Club, while the semi-finals took place in the House of Commons. Church House, the location of the final, not only houses offices for various parts of the Church of England, but it also provided a meeting place for Parliament during the Second World War, and in 1946 was the venue for the first meeting of the UN Security Council.

Year 10’s Adyansh Sahai took first place in a prestigious Hindi-speaking event – even though he was the youngest participant.

His talk on robotics impressed the audience at the celebration of the Hindi language, which was organised jointly by the UK High Commission of India and by the community charity, Sangam, UK.

Adyansh achieved victory at the event in The Nehru Centre in Mayfair, London, despite Hindi not being his first language.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My congratulations go to Adyansh on this noteworthy achievement.

“We lay significant emphasis on helping boys develop the skills to express themselves well verbally, whether in English or in other languages: our newest facility, The Robert Dudley Studio, is devoted to that end. Adyansh’s success is a great example of someone who has mastered those skills.”

Young people aged 15–20 were invited to share their experiences in Hindi. Adyansh was pitted against A-level students and Oxford & Cambridge undergraduates.

During the talk, he engaged his audience, which included dignitaries and officials from the High Commission, by including a live demonstration of a robot he had recently built from a shopping trolley. Designed to assist people with mobility issues, the robot was customised with 3D-printed sub-systems.

He was awarded with his first prize by VIP guests including Virendra Sharma, Labour MP for Ealing Southall from 2007 until his retirement at the 2024 general election, and Parveen Rani, who was the 2024–2025 Deputy Mayor of Hertsmere.

It is not the first time that Adyansh’s language skills have come to the fore. Earlier this year, his poem entitled A villanelle on villainy was published in QE’s pupil-led creative magazine, The Arabella.

Adyansh began his talk by proudly introducing himself as an Elizabethan, his experiences at QE having contributed to the confidence and resilience he displayed when taking part.

His parents, Abhinav & Deepika Sahai, wrote to Mr Enright after his triumph in the competition:  “He was able to rise to the occasion with the confidence QE has instilled in him.”

A Year 13 team will be battling it out with some of the best school debaters in the country tomorrow at the grand final of the historic Mace competition.

The five students reached the final of the debating competition run by the English-Speaking Union after last month triumphing in the Greater London regional finals.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Our five sixth-formers have done extremely well to have reached the final of the competition: I wish them the best of luck! The ability to speak well is an essential skill for young people aspiring to thrive in high-level careers, which is why we have invested heavily here in creating The Robert Dudley Studio – our new venue for oracy and drama.

“Furthermore, debating is invaluable as a way of training young people in oracy. Through it, they learn to: put together arguments; express those arguments clearly and convincingly; and then think on their feet so that they can respond when those arguments are challenged.”

Following their triumph at the regional event hosted by Lady Eleanor Holles School, the five young Elizabethans – Chanakya Seetharam, Saim Khan, Zaki Mustafa, Koustuv Bhowmick and Rohan Kumar – will travel to the ESU’s historic home, Dartmouth House in London’s Mayfair, for the grand final on 30th April.

Founded in 1957, the ESU Schools’ Mace is this country’s oldest and largest debating competition for schools.

Open to pupils aged 11-18, it begins every year with heats in November, with around 300 schools participating, each fielding one team.

There are second-round heats in January and regional finals in March, before the national final, held annually in late April.

In the competition, participants are challenged to engage with wide-ranging cross-curricular topics, including controversial subjects and those relating to current affairs.

The grand final is a high-profile occasion, normally featuring high-ranking MPs, leaders of industry and other prominent figures.

English teacher and Enrichment tutor Lev Crofts wrote: “They’ve now won three rounds of this prestigious competition – fending off teams including St Paul’s, Merchant Taylors’ and South Hampstead High School – and they did an incredible job in the regional finals. They seem to be very much enjoying their title as Greater London Champions!”

QE pupils have picked up crucial skills – as well as awards – at two prestigious Model United Nations conferences in London and one hosted by an élite university in the US.

On the same weekend that one group of boys was rubbing shoulders with visiting delegates from around the world at HABSMUN (hosted by Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools), Year 11’s Vu-Lam Le-Nguyen was enjoying success during the London Youth Model United Nations (LYMUN) at the LSE. These events came just a few weeks after Year 11’s Keshav Aggarwal (pictured) had become one of only seven delegates to win a Best Delegate award at the prestigious MUN hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “I am pleased to see our boys throwing themselves into these very worthwhile events and I congratulate them on their successes. Debating is an important way for our pupils to acquire confidence, hone skills in public-speaking, develop their ability to build an argument, and learn to think on their feet.”

Vu-Lam explained that LYMUN 2025 involved over 560 delegates from UK schools such as Eton and Harrow, as well as from schools in Portugal, Sweden, France and other nations worldwide.

“I was part of the US Senate, one of the special signature committees, and played the role of the Republican Senator John Thune. Like Senator Thune in real life, I won my party’s leadership election on the first day to become the Senator Majority Leader, granting me both privileges and responsibilities to set the tone for debate and direct my party in passing (or opposing) bills. This year, the topic was to envision a new age of American energy in the aftermath of a fictional Great Midwestern Blackout.

“In the closing ceremony, I was awarded the Bipartisanship (Diplomacy) Award, not only for outstanding public speaking and performance, but also for my subtle concessions to foster bipartisan cooperation (in a hugely divided Senate).” Vu-Lam, who aspires to an eventual real-world career in international relations, said he was especially proud that the MUN’s Secretariat said in its comments that the award went to delegates who best assumed the role of real diplomats in committees.

Keshav Aggarwal’s award at MIT was for his contribution representing Australia at the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM) – one of seven committees operating at the conference. Since no overall conference awards were given, this was one of the event’s top accolades.

With him at the conference were several hundred delegates from countries as far apart as Peru and Kazakhstan, as well as the US delegates and others from the UK. MIT itself describes it as “the premier international MUN conference for high school students, with a special focus on small committee sizes”.

The theme was Tech Diplomacy: delegates were charged with evaluating the global political impact of new technologies and strengthening or amending regulation to foster innovation. The SOCHUM committee members debated Regulating Cryptocurrency to Foster Innovation While Mitigating Risks and Mass Surveillance and Data Exploitation.

“It was great to interact with delegates from around the world with their different perspectives on global politics, and with differing cultural backgrounds,” said Keshav. “It also provided a great insight into studying at MIT: I got to interact with a range of student leaders, and learning about their experience at studying at MIT and living in Boston.”

He found time to visit neighbouring Harvard University, where he duly rubbed the foot of the statue of John Harvard, the 17th-century Puritan clergyman whose bequest helped establish the Ivy League institution. “Legend and rumours have it that by rubbing the golden foot of the statue, students gain luck and the ‘blessings’ of John Harvard for all their academic endeavours.”

Keshav and his fellow delegates heard from guest speaker Fadel Adib, Founding Director of the MIT Signal Kinetics Research Group, whose research has led to the establishment of multiple start-ups.

The group of Elizabethans making their way to HABSMUN included Samuel Sobolak, of Year 9, who reported that delegates had quickly got into their stride, lobbying fiercely in their committees to rally support for their resolutions.

“Day two brought about a rigorous seven-hour debate in the General Assembly, where delegates sparred over resolutions, thinking on their feet under pressure: a perfect opportunity to improve public-speaking skills,” said Samuel.

“Speaking in front of dozens of delegates may be overwhelming, so in order to unwind, students took part in a karaoke showdown, with each committee singing their hearts out for first place.”

The QE contingent picked up a number of awards, he said, and made many new friends:  “An intense but unforgettable weekend of diplomatic fun!”

Fellow HABSMUN delegate Nikhil Francine, of Year 10, added: “Learning that there were others that were passionate about solving the pressing issues of the world, ranging from health to disarmament and security, was fascinating to see.”

Like Samuel, he enjoyed both the formal debates and the event’s more relaxed moments. “Overall, it was a brilliant experience, in which I made new friends from outside QE, had lots of fun and crucially boosted my confidence, debating and public-speaking skills.”

It is just two years since Sudhamshu Gummadavelly and Ashwin Sridhar won the Elizabethan Union Dinner Debate as sixth-formers in the School’s 450th anniversary year.

Now the young alumni, who both left the School in 2023, have repeated the feat, successfully opposing the motion – This House believes social media is harming our democracy – which was proposed by Year 13’s Saim Khan and Zaki Mustafa.

The motion generated extensive debate, with many boys contributing from the floor to this, the 58th annual debate. A relaxed, convivial evening, it gives senior boys an opportunity to experience the sort of occasion they may later encounter at university and beyond.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This was a very high-quality debate from both teams, with many judicious, thoughtful contributions also coming from the floor. With contributors proving responsive to the points made by others, it made for an intellectually exciting discussion.

“Our thanks go to all those involved, particularly our returning OEs, who I am sure enjoyed the opportunity to relive past glories as a winning team once again!

The debate was chaired by Year 13’s Rohan Kumar, with the toasts at dinner presided over by 2024’s Chanakya Seetharam, also of Year 13.

Here is a summary of points made during the debate:

Saim (proposing) stated that fake news reached 1,500 people six times faster than true news in a study and pointed out the centralised control of social media channels by figures such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.

Ashwin (opposing) gave examples of social media being used to expose truth in the face of state oppression and propaganda and its use in giving a voice to the voiceless, citing the #MeToo movement.

Zaki (proposing) waxed historical, pointing to the story of Emperor Nero blaming everyone else when Rome burned in AD64, the salient point being that he was able to control the flow of information and thus turn people against each other. In like fashion, social media gives a platform to neo-Nazis and other extremists peddling misinformation and hate, such as those behind the January 6th riots in the US, and is not infrequently misused by national actors, such as China and Russia. Far from being neutral, it is the platforms which decide which material goes viral and who is silenced. Social media is purposely addictive and – with anger generating clicks – divisive.

Sudhamshu (opposing) countered that misinformation was entirely possible without social media, suggesting, in fact, that the proposers had promulgated misinformation in their speeches! The power of social media, he said, is that it is a conversation – two-way communication, able to be answered. In a world without social media, people would be less able to challenge politicians directly and governments would find it easier to control the populace.

Points and questions from the floor included:

• Is more free speech necessarily good? Much of the debate online is lazy and low quality.
• The tone online is often argumentative, which provokes people to reinforce their own views, leading to entrenchment and retreat to separate groups.
• Social media is used to organise violence, such as mosque attacks and attacks by the English Defence League.
• Counter examples were given of social media exposing corruption, particularly in developing countries.
• With algorithms driving social media, what you see is determined for you.
• Echo chambers were not a side effect, but the driving purpose of social media – pushing your own beliefs back at you.
• On social media you can publicly comment on and critique things. By contrast, if you send an email or letter to a newspaper, its staff will decide whether to publish it.
• Head of English Robert Hyland asked: “Who guards the guards?” Traditional media has editorial boards and regulators, but social media does not. However, his caveat was that perhaps the proposers were living in the past, harking back to what democracy used to be. Does it not evolve, with social media showing the robustness of that evolution?

The end result of the debate was a vote of 40% in favour of the motion, with 58% against, and 2% abstaining. Thus, the narrow lead for the proposition at the outset of the debate was overturned.

Earlier, a three-course dinner, with a vegetarian option was served.

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