When people heard that MeritEdge Academy was sponsoring the Lagos Schools Debate Competition, the first question we got was: “What does a debate competition have to do with personalised learning?”

Our honest answer: everything.

This is the story of why we got involved, what we witnessed on the day, and what it confirmed about the kind of education we believe Nigerian children deserve.

Background

The Lagos Schools Debate Competition (LSDC) 2026 is one of Nigeria’s most prestigious secondary school debate tournaments, organised by Debate Champs in collaboration with the Harvard Debate Council. It brings together students from across Lagos State to compete in structured debate, develop argumentation skills, and engage with ideas that go far beyond what a typical classroom allows.

The event draws students from diverse schools, diverse backgrounds, and diverse levels of academic experience. What they share is a willingness to show up and think out loud — to debate, challenge, and be challenged in front of an audience.

That takes courage. It also takes capability. And capability, as we’ve always believed at MeritEdge Academy, is built, not inherited.

Our Decision

At MeritEdge Academy, we build personalised learning pathways for students aged 3 to 18. Our work is rooted in a belief that most children are not struggling because they lack intelligence;  they’re struggling because the system around them hasn’t been designed for how they learn.

But academic support has never been only about closing gaps. It’s about developing capable human beings. Students who think clearly, express themselves with confidence, and show up fully prepared for the rooms they’ll enter in life.

Debate does exactly that.

“Debate is structured, articulate expression. It is critical thinking under pressure. It is the ability to hold a position while genuinely engaging with a counter-argument. Those are not just debate skills; they are life skills.”

— Rianat Olawumi Davies, Founder & CEO, MeritEdge Academy

Sponsoring the LSDC wasn’t a marketing exercise. It was an alignment decision. This tournament reflects values that sit at the heart of everything we do: developing learners, not just improving grades.

Event Highlights

Walking into the venue, the energy was immediate. Students from schools across Lagos were preparing to debate before judges, peers, and spectators.

What became clear very quickly was this: the most impressive students in the room were not always the ones with the most polished arguments. They were the ones who listened. Who adapted. Who heard a counter-argument, took a breath, and responded thoughtfully.

That is a skill. A trained, practised, developed skill. And watching it on display was genuinely remarkable.

Students debate during the competition rounds. ||  MeritEdge Academy branded pens and jotters distributed to all participants.

The competition results

Winner (Senior category) — Wellspring College

1. Moyinfoluwa Akilla
2. Oluwaferanmi Oyewo
3. Akinloluwa Olajolo
4. Erioluwa Ayoola-Ajayi

1st runner-up (Senior category) — Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School

1. Ekenedilichukwu Nwagu
2. Laura Uba
3. Ayoola Ilerioluwa

Winner (Junior category) —British International School

1. Chiraza Okoli
2. Chukwumunanya Chima
3. Olaedo Irono
4. Obalola Rufus-Giwa

1st runner-up (Junior category) — Grace High School

1. Afope Olotu
2. Chimamanda Okorie
3. Tamilore Adebisi

The Bigger Picture

One of the most important things we observed at LSDC 2026 is something we see every day in our work at MeritEdge Academy: Nigerian students are exceptional when they are given the right environment to grow.

The talent is not the constraint. The environment is.

Most secondary school classrooms are not designed to develop argumentation, critical analysis, or confident self-expression. They are designed to transmit content and assess recall. That is not a condemnation, but a structural reality of how most education systems are built.

But events like the Lagos Schools Debate Competition remind us that when students are placed in environments that demand more, they rise. Every single time.

“The most confident students in that room were not necessarily the ones with the best grades. They were the ones who had been taught how to think — how to organise arguments, challenge assumptions, and hold their ground under pressure.

— MeritEdge Academy, LSDC 2026 debrief

This is the gap that personalised learning addresses. Not just the academic gap, but the capability gap. The difference between a student who has memorised content and a student who can apply, debate, and defend their understanding.

We do not just build better exam results at MeritEdge. We build better thinkers.

Looking Ahead

Sponsoring the Lagos Schools Debate Competition is not a one-off gesture. It is part of a broader commitment to developing young minds in Nigeria and beyond.

At MeritEdge Academy, we are actively deepening our work with secondary school students through structured exam preparation, critical thinking support, and personalised academic pathways that go beyond content coverage to develop genuine capability.

If you are a parent, school administrator, or educator who believes students deserve more than a system not built around them, we would love to talk.

And to the students who competed at LSDC 2026: the world will keep asking you to speak. Keep showing up.

Is your child getting the academic support they deserve?

At MeritEdge Academy, we build personalised learning pathways that develop understanding, confidence, and capability — for students aged 3 to 18.

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