Holy Faith Convent, Couva is the winner of the 2025 Diabetes Association of Trinidad and Tobago Secondary Schools Debate.
The annual event, targeting Forms 3 and 4 students and hosted during Diabetes Awareness Month in November, experienced its largest participation this year with 18 Secondary Schools from across the country.
The final round of debate took place at the Chaguanas Borough Corporation Auditorium on Friday.
The final four Secondary School teams were invited to “ignite the conversation” for the final round of debates on Friday. Naparima Girls’ High School, Presentation College, Chaguanas, ASJA Girls College, San Fernando, and Holy Faith Convent, Couva, presented their arguments on two topics that have been discussed recently in medical circles: the effectiveness of sugary drink taxes as a policy tool, and the use of GLP-1 and GIP incretin drugs, such as Ozempic and Mounjaro.
President of the Diabetes Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Andrew Dhanoo, delivering his address through video, praised the high quality of debate, noting that these types of discussions are integral contributions to national discourse.
“I’ve had the privilege of watching these debaters from the preliminary round right through to today’s final, and I must say I’m thoroughly impressed. Your arguments are well structured, your rebuttals are sharp, your delivery is confident, and your research was nothing short of excellent. You have all demonstrated skills that many adults struggle to master. The critical thinking, the teamwork, the composure under pressure, the ability to defend your ideas with evidence. “
Education Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health Dr. Matthew Desaine said the Ministry is formulating policy which deals with ensuring well-rounded students. He highlighted the strengthening of school nutrition guidelines and a renewed focus on physical activity.
“A healthy child learns better. A healthy child behaves better. A healthier child becomes a healthier adult, benefiting not just themselves, but their families, their communities, and the nation. That is why today’s debate matters so deeply.”
Though all the teams received high commendation, there could only be one winner and in the end, the panel of judges gave the gold and challenge trophy to the debate team from Holy Faith Convent, Couva.
In second place was ASJA Girls’ College, San Fernando, while Presentation College, Chaguanas, and Naparima Girls’ High School took home third and fourth place, respectively.
This was the first time that Holy Faith Convent, Couva, had won this competition, and an excited Kassidy Lucien spoke highly of their teacher, Wendell Long, who ensured their long hours were not in vain.
“I feel absolutely elated. I feel accomplished. I felt like all my hard work paid off. Those nights that our teacher made us stay up was really brutal. But in the end, it was all worth it. So I feel very proud of myself and my team.”
Kaveri Lalla spoke more on the team’s preparation process: “So we were on Google Meets late hours in the night. We had to make a lot of changes whenever we read our speech to our teacher, always find something to tell us no matter how good it was. So it was a lot of changes to make, a lot of adjustments. But in the end, it all paid off and I’m so happy it did.”
And Shemiah Clarke gave some advice to other students considering joining a debate team and a nationwide call to action in the fight against diabetes.
“Honestly, in the debate, just let loose, be yourself. Always remember to be confident, because at the end of the day, everything is just for fun. And with diabetes, I think that if we come together as a nation of Trinidad and Tobago, we could prevent the spread of diabetes and obesity.”
World Diabetes Day is commemorated annually on November 14th, and the Diabetes Association of Trinidad and Tobago has been a constant voice in raising awareness on topics surrounding the disease for more than three decades.