UTech, Wolmer’s Boys’ win PIOJ youth debate competition
Loading article...
-
Director General at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr Wayne Henry (second right), presents the winning trophy to Wolmer’s Boys’ School team member Apollos Joiles (right), at the PIOJ’s Dialogue for Development 2026 Youth Debate Competition, held at the institute’s headquarters in Kingston, on Thursday. Sharing in the moment are team members Joshnell Powell (left) and Mikel Sanderson. Photo - Contributed photos
-
Director General at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr Wayne Henry (second right), presents the winning trophy to Wolmer’s Boys’ School team member Apollos Joiles (right), at the PIOJ’s Dialogue for Development 2026 Youth Debate Competition, held at the institute’s headquarters in Kingston, on Thursday. Sharing in the moment are team members Joshnell Powell (left) and Mikel Sanderson. Photo - Contributed photos
-
University of Technology (UTech) Knights team member, Amoya Rowe, delivers her speech.
-
Marcia Brown-Bailey (right), director of population and health at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), presents the trophy for Best Tertiary Debater to Joshua Atkins of the University of Technology (UTech) Knights.
The University of Technology (UTech) Knights and the Wolmer’s Warriors emerged as champions of the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s (PIOJ) Dialogue for Development 2026 Youth Debate Competition, after tackling some of the country’s most pressing demographic and social challenges.
The competition, held at the PIOJ’s Kingston offices on Thursday, examined issues ranging from migration and Jamaica’s declining birth rate to the implications of the island’s changing population structure for sustainable development.
In the high-school category, Wolmer’s Boys’ School defeated Immaculate Conception High School in a debate on the motion: “This House regrets the normalisation of migration as the preferred path to success for young Jamaicans.”
At the tertiary level, UTech overcame the University of the West Indies (UWI) in debating the motion: “This House believes that the increasing trend towards child-free living is detrimental to Jamaica’s development.”
The competition formed part of the PIOJ’s 2026 Dialogue for Development series, being held under the theme, ‘Harnessing the Shift, Reimagining a Sustainable Future’.
Addressing participants, PIOJ Director General Dr Wayne Henry said the issues explored during the debates have significant implications for Jamaica’s future and must not be left solely to policymakers.
“Young people dare not simply be passive observers of development. Indeed, your rich and diverse views should join the conversation and influence positive trajectories,” Henry said.
He noted that one of the PIOJ’s central responsibilities is to use data and evidence to guide proactive and inclusive national planning, helping to shape the future that today’s young people will inherit.
Henry said youth participation is therefore critical and pointed to the organisation’s Vision 2030 Jamaica Youth Thematic Working Group as one avenue through which young Jamaicans are consulted on sustainable development issues.
He also highlighted the demographic challenges underpinning this year’s debate topics, noting that emigration, including the loss of skilled workers, continues even as the proportion of children and young people in the population declines.
According to Henry, informed debate, critical thinking and rigorous research are essential to developing effective policies and programmes to address these trends.
The competition, he said, demonstrated the value of engaging young people in discussions about the economic and social choices that will shape Jamaica’s development trajectory.