How Much Time Should Students Allocate?

1. Debate programs are intensive and we recommend reserving 30 to 60 minutes each week during the program to work on assignments and prepare for practice speeches and debates. These are suggested guidelines and can be adjusted depending on the student's time and organization. The more time a student devotes to improving their skills and preparing, the more they will benefit. We hope that with the nature of game-based activities, and competitive challenges, students will be self-motivated to succeed and find their own balance of time spent developing their skill base and having fun.

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2. We will also periodically ask Students to think about how they can make real-life connections to what they are learning. For example, understanding the give and take during real-world negotiations to help connect to concepts in the context of extemporaneous speech and debate.

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3. Students should try to complete assignments on time, to reinforce and monitor learning. Students will have flexibility in case they need to plan around other commitments.

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How Is Speech and Debate Different Than...?

4. There are several wonderful academic activities prevalent in India that have their own merits. Some are focused within school, or a small league of schools at a local level, others have a regional or broader focus. NSDA events are a globally recognized series of competitions with 95 years of history, and internationally accepted standards, topics, and recognition. Students will be competing at a Regional India level with a chance to compete at a National All-India level even in the first year of our program in collaboration with the NSDA. Speech and Debate is unique - it is a Journey, not an activity. Students are not limited by levels or one-time pursuits. Students can continue through divisions and from grade years 4th through 12th, and either master a particular event, or branch out and experiment with other events to round out and advance other interests. No other extracurricular is academically proven in study after study to develop such a wide range of skills, and have such a quantifiable impact, especially in a fun-filled, exciting game-based competitive format that kids tend to naturally love. No other activity matches Speech and Debates' influence on improving School Performance through Middle School and HIgh School, as well as with College Admissions as proven again in multiple research studies.

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5. Some activities tend to be geared towards a particular personality - extroverts vs introverts; others tend to be STEM heavy or oriented towards students with interests in public policy or economics or the humanities. Speech and Debate uniquely offers a wide range of event formats and there is literally something exciting and a potentially great fit for virtually every personality and subject interest, whether STEM, history, economics, psychology, English, drama, philosophy, or other other humanities and arts subjects. Each student can pursue and extend their passions while developing their unique Voice.

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6. NSDA's Competitive Line of Modern Speech and Debate events have never previously been available in India. This is a unique opportunity to start with the India launch of the world's most successful academic program. The NSDA hosts the world's largest academic competition each year. We have a wide range of NSDA events that Students can remain engaged in as they grow their skills and begin to specialize over multiple years. By nature, these events are generally much more intense, adrenaline-filled, rigorous and competitive. Speech and Debate is the number one academic journey for success as proven across numerous research studies. Below are some recommended links with videos, descriptions, advocacy letters from Educators (including Heads of Schools and School Principals), and research studies within our website where you can learn much more. If you still have questions, write to us at support@speechdebateindia.com :

Wide Range of Competitive Events

Benefits and Academic Research Studies

More Research and Advocacy Links

Recommendations from Principals and Heads of Schools

 

7. Many academic activities involve what feels like work or repetition. Speech and Debate instead lends itself to fun and excitement. Our unique curriculum involves gamified learning and includes playing games, engaging in drills, preparing for assignments that are challenges and mini-competitions. Many unit lesson plans are introduced in the form of a game, mock scenarios, real-life issues and more to keep kids engaged, while developing valuable life-changing skills. Learning  should be fun - and when it is, kids learn much more.

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8. With Championship winning coaching from the United States, students uniquely have an opportunity to learn from the best, practice each unit through assignment submissions, and gain valuable feedback to help improve their understanding and skill development.

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9. Regional Workshops and Regional/National Tournaments provide valuable additional opportunities for Students to collaborate and apply their learning in a rigorous competitive format with students from across India with a chance for awards and recognition.

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS

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Getting Started

1. At the time of tournament sign-up you can select your nearest Regional Location for any in-person tournaments. If you would prefer a different location, provided space is available, you can request us at support@speechdebateindia.com  

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2. Students should have access to either a laptop, desktop computer, tablet, or mobile smart phone for lessons at home, with the ability to record short home videos for assignments using either a laptop or their own/parent's mobile smart phone, along with broadband Internet connectivity to stream and upload videos.

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3. For Regional Workshops and Tournaments, students are advised to bring a laptop, notebook, pens of at least two different colors (preferably one black/blue pen and one red pen), a water bottle, and snacks.

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4. Students are advised to bring a light sweater, sweatshirt or jacket in the event they feel cold in air-conditioning at schools during any of the live events such as workshops and tournaments.

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5. Dress code at Workshops is casual. Dress code at Tournaments is formal - boys should wear ties and preferably suits or jackets, girls should wear formals or business suits. Due to the extent of walking up and down school stairs during Tournaments, we recommend students wear comfortable shoes like tennis shoes, sneakers etc. Open toe slippers are not allowed.

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6. For any live Workshops and Regional/National Tournaments, please pack sufficient snacks, food and drinks and any other incidental items needed during these sessions.

 

 

Admissions and Billing

7. Speech and Debate India Pvt. Ltd. (also referred to as "Speech & Debate India", "Speech and Debate India", "speechdebateindia.com", "SDI" etc) does not charge any fees for applying to the program. We will consider applications on a time-stamped basis – the earlier the application is submitted, the higher priority it will receive as we review applications on an ongoing rolling admissions basis and will place applications automatically on our waitlist once spots for a given location and division are filled to our capacity limitations. We apologize in advance to students and families whom we cannot accommodate. All admissions decisions are final and cannot be appealed. Admission and fees are only for the current term, after which the child will need to be re-enrolled for future programs and terms.

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8. Applications will be reviewed on an equal opportunity basis and independent of gender, ethnicity and social background. Students are generally from top schools and are advanced/gifted for their grade level. We collect certain information for documentation and internal purposes and will maintain this confidentially unless on an exceptional case are required to release it by law. We aim for the brightest children from across India to have their Voices heard and to help them develop into leaders who will shape our future across a wide range of professions, causes, and interests. If you have specific questions about a disability or impairment please email us describing the condition at support@speechdebateindia.com 

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9. We are not seeking a particular type of student interest or background. A common thread is that most of our students attend top schools and have consistently outperformed academically. What's most important to us, is that the student genuinely be excited to develop their skills in a multi-year program filled with fun, hard work, and rigorous competition. This is not a leisure or relaxation activity – challenges will require a combination of skills, concentration, perseverance, thought, and commitment. Benefits can only be gained if students are committed to putting in their best. No prior background or experience is required or expected – your child's passion, an open mind, and desire to advance are what we need. As in many debates, there are no right or wrong answers on the form, we look to bring together a broad range of perspectives, goals and interests. We cannot and do not guarantee any specific results and can only point to historical studies of benefits attained by other students in related programs, but those circumstances may vary and accordingly results can vary.

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10. Electronic billing instructions will be provided once a letter of admission to the program is granted, with a limited window to make payment and secure the seat. Bills must be paid in full for the term. If you require a monthly financing option, we can guide you to a preferred national banking partner for this. For any other queries related to admissions and billing, write to us at support@speechdebateindia.com explaining your question in detail.

 

11. All rates are before applicable GST taxes, currently at 18.0%. All fees are for program participation and electronic materials provided as part of the curriculum, and does not include any electronic hardware, transportation, accommodations, food or drinks, or any other expenses which are the sole responsibility of students/families.

 

 

Travel & Logistics

12. For workshops and tournaments, any travel, accommodations, logistics, etc. and attendance on time is the responsibility of the Student's family. We reserve the right to restrict and deny admission once a workshop has started. Please plan ahead to account for traffic and other variables as late entry in certain sessions will not be permitted due to class disruption and potential to slow the class down if certain concepts are missed, and to respect the time of other students and parents. 

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13. Regional workshops and tournaments dates will be announced and are subject to change and/or cancellation in the event of unforeseeable circumstances, and will not be reimbursed.

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14. Residents of other areas who would like to compete in a Regional Workshop or Tournament are welcome to attend, at their own cost, to one of the Regional locations.

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15. Parents/guardians/helpers/drivers will need to drop off students at Regional Workshops & Tournament Schools and respect and follow security protocols outlined by host schools providing space for activities. If a registered parent is not picking up/dropping off a child, they must complete a form to indicate an alternative parent/guardian/helper/driver for collection.

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16. In-person workshops and tournaments missed cannot be made up and will not be refunded. There are no discounts for not attending live workshops, and it is a valuable part of the program, providing students an opportunity to apply and test their skill development. 

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Dietary/Health Restrictions

17. If your child has any health conditions, allergies or may need medical support, please indicate this on the application form. We will be unable to control the snacks and drinks that other children are bringing. For serious medical conditions, please notify us and check during registration as we may be unable to provide enrollment.

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Qualifying for India Nationals and the Global Tournament in the United States

18. Qualifications to the 2020 National Tournament on June 6th and 7th, 2020 in Mumbai are solely at our discretion based on performance at Regional Tournaments as well as assignment submissions through the term and Coach recommendations. Travel to Mumbai and accommodations are the responsibility and cost of each Student's family. Student's are advised to arrive at least one day in advance of the tournament to be settled and ready for an early morning start on June 6th at the American School of Bombay's BKC Campus in Mumbai. Qualifications to the 2021 National Tournament shall be on a cumulative point system basis that will be announced from time to time on the website for the new academic year starting August 17, 2020 through July 31, 2021 based on performance in courses during the 2020-21 academic year starting August 17, 2020. Any prior coursework or performance does not count towards Regionals A and B or their Qualifier Tournaments during the 2020-21 academic year and all qualifications are at the full discretion of Speech and Debate India always with no recourse. Families contesting decisions may be permanently removed and students disqualified.

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19. Likewise, due to the short time interval between India Nationals and International competitions, for example the global NSDA Tournament in the United States, potential contestants will be pre-notified based on performance, well in advance in order to prepare for logistics, visas, and travel costs to the United States to be undertaken by the student's family. Students will stay as a block together in one of the Tournament hotels with chaperones/coaches. Students selected for International Competition will also receive additional honors.

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Additional Important Terms & Conditions
20. Speech & Debate India reserves the right to remove any Student or Family who does not comply with the ethics and standards set forth by the program.

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21. Partial or full refunds are not available under any circumstances. Classes may be postponed, rescheduled, canceled, substituted, or modified at the sole discretion of Speech and Debate India. Speech and Debate India cannot take any responsibility for individual student attendance as it is the student's responsibility to diligently attend and participate in classes. Speech and Debate India also does not take any responsibility for issues arising out of internet connectivity or the use of other third party software or services such as the use of applications by Google, Zoom, Microsoft, Apple, or other companies and providers.

 

22. Students must refrain from inappropriate behavior, illegal acts, and language, treat others with respect, and take responsibility for keeping abreast of updates and managing their schedules, class participation and other work independently. Offenders may be subject to probation or removal from the program with no recourse. Students found cheating, using others' work or not following guidelines will also be subject to removal from the program. Students and Parents are expected to speak and write courteously to our staff and any member of our team as well as to other students at all times. Parents are expected to pass on information to students, who need to take full responsibility for independently managing their own course work and other related matters. Parents are welcome to assist through discussions but under no circumstances should Parents write any portion of student work. We reserve full legal rights to take any appropriate action in the event prior during or after courses or tournaments in response to any unethical behavior, harassment of our staff, or public or private slander by parents or students through phone, text message, email, online, on social media, or in any other form, at our full discretion. At the sole discretion of Speech and Debate India, Students and/or Parents acting in an inappropriate, aggressive or offensive manner to any other families, students, or team member of Speech and Debate India are liable for removal from our programs and disqualification from any tournaments without recourse.

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23. Speech and Debate India owns full rights to its own materials, all materials submitted, taken or recorded and photographed during sessions, all intellectual property developed, and the use of licensed materials from the US NSDA, and reserves full rights to use, display, reproduce, market and promote through its emails, websites, Social Media platforms including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook etc, and by other electronic or physical means, such as directly, indirectly, through press announcements, media articles and broadcasts, live events such as through Zoom, Facebook Live, Youtube Live etc, or any other means at the sole discretion of Speech and Debate India domestically and internationally, all materials submitted by or produced by students electronically and physically, or during workshops and tournaments, and reserves the rights to use of all photos, videos, written and communicated submissions, work product, competitions and performances of students for dissemination by any means to display student work, inform parents/guardians of student progress, promote Speech and Debate India, and for other promotional reasons directly or indirectly through media such as newspapers, television, radio, magazines, blogs, online or offline publications, podcasts, live evetns, pre-recorded events, and any other physical or electronic means at the sole discretion of Speech and Debate India and parents give full consent and discretion in perpetuity to Speech and Debate India as a condition of enrolling their child at any time in any course, program, workshop, online session etc. Parents agree to the use of materials per the discretion of Speech and Debate India and consent to terms directly by Speech & Debate India as well as terms and data collection and use policies as subjected by various third party sites and collaboration partners including Google, G Suite for Education, Facebook, Schoology, Zoom, and third party learning management system providers and websites utilized in the course of training materials, assignments and other class work. Participation in any program of Speech & Debate India constitutes permission by parents for Speech & Debate India to create/maintain various accounts including a G Suite for Education account for their child and for Google and other service providers to collect, use, and disclose information about my child per the policies of Google and other service providers available on their respective sites. Sharing of our materials, lesson plans, and other educational content with other students/families not enrolled in the program is strictly prohibited and liable to penalties/damages, and removal from the program.

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24. Speech & Debate India reserves the right make modifications in the program, schedule, faculty, facilities, locations, logistics, curriculum, and any other aspects as needed for the operations of the program as well as from circumstances outside its control and will apply its best efforts as practical in its sole discretion to make adjustments to maintain the maximum range of benefits possible and overall intent to help its students. 

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25. All rights reserved by Speech and Debate India Private Limited and its affiliates and owners.