This elite educational event brings together 96 students in a competition that will send 4 high school students to the final round of the contest in Cambridge
- Cambridge Union Schools is taking place in Romania for the first time on February 21 and 22;
- The competition is held in English, in the university-level British Parliamentary format;
- The top two teams from Romania qualify for “Finals Day” on March 21, 2026, at the Cambridge Union Hall;
- The Bucharest final takes place on Sunday, February 22, at the Palace of Parliament, in the presence of Minister Dragoș Pâslaru;
- Romania thus joins the global academic debating circuit alongside the United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Canada, Dubai, Tunisia, Australia, and New Zealand;
- The four qualified students will speak from the same lectern used by the Dalai Lama, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Bill Gates, and Stephen Hawking.
Bucharest, February 17th, 2026: Romania is hosting, for the first time, the prestigious international high school debating tournament “Cambridge Union Schools,” organised under the auspices of the Cambridge Union – the largest student society at the University of Cambridge and the oldest debating society in the world, founded in 1815. This marks the first time an official tournament organised under a Cambridge license is being held in Romania.
On February 21–22, 2026, at the National Bilingual College “George Coșbuc” in Bucharest, 48 teams – 96 students in total from 32 high schools and 13 cities across the country – will take part in the competition that sends four Romanian high school students to the grand final in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Participation was open to all interested high schools, and the competition is conducted entirely in English. The tournament is organised under license from the Cambridge Union by Better Speakers and ARDOR (the Romanian Association for Debate, Oratory and Rhetoric).
The top two teams from Romania, that is four students, will qualify for “Finals Day,” which takes place on March 21, 2026, in Cambridge, at the renowned Cambridge Union Hall. There, the Romanian students will debate alongside the winners of tournaments held in the United Kingdom and other international competitions organised under Cambridge license in Australia, North America, Asia, and Africa. Finals Day brings together the best teams from across the global circuit and determines the overall winner of the season.
“It is a dream come true to bring this prestigious tournament to Romania. For a Romanian high school student, to speak from the same lectern used by the Dalai Lama or Winston Churchill is something truly unique. It is not just a competition; it is an experience that can change your academic trajectory”, says Victor-Emanuel Beteringhe, founder Better Speakers.
The competition in Romania is held in the British Parliamentary format, the official university format of the Cambridge Union. Each debate involves four teams of two speakers, and the motions are announced on the spot. Students have only 15 minutes to prepare, with no access to phones or the internet. The topics address current issues in international politics, economics, European affairs, and society—similar to those debated in the international press and at the world’s leading universities.
The competition final takes place on Sunday, February 22, at the Palace of Parliament, in the presence of Minister of Investments and European Projects Dragoș Pâslaru, Diana Punga, State Counselor within the Presidential Administration, Raluca Turcan, Member of the Romanian Parliament, and Mihai Ghighiu, President of the Education Committe in Chamber of Deputees.
The Cambridge Union is a global benchmark for academic dialogue and freedom of expression. In the renowned Cambridge Union Hall, figures such as the Dalai Lama, U.S. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, and British Prime Ministers including Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, and John Major have spoken over the years. Former presidents of the organization include economist John Maynard Keynes, writer Robert Harris, and author Arianna Huffington.
“For nearly 30 years, ARDOR has encouraged young people to ask questions and to practice critical thinking. Romania’s official entry into the Cambridge Union circuit is a sign of maturity for the debating movement in our country. We are confident that Romanian high school students can perform at the highest level”, ads Mădălin Guruianu, president of ARDOR.
The adjudication is ensured by a team of Romanian judges experienced in the British Parliamentary format, including former national champions and competitors with international achievements. For the winners, participation in Finals Day in Cambridge represents not just a trophy, but a top-tier academic experience and a valuable milestone in their educational journey. Performing at this level is a major advantage in applications to international universities and opens diverse professional opportunities, from law and diplomacy to entrepreneurship, IT, or medicine, in a context where communication, leadership, and argumentation skills are becoming increasingly important.
“To be able to articulate a spontaneous argument in front of an audience contributes greatly to a student’s self-confidence. It gives you the reassurance that you can stand on your own feet. The same applies to the process of competition: you lose, you regroup, and you start again, over and over. It is an exercise in determination, something that becomes invaluable after your first job rejection or your first failed university exam. By the time it happens, you already have the practice of starting over with courage”, ads Ana Coman, coordinator of the jury in Romania and former champion in debate competitions.
Romania has a strong tradition in academic debating, consistently ranking among the top European countries in the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) category. In recent years, Romanian students have achieved remarkable results at international competitions, including European titles and podium finishes at major tournaments. Recently, the national debate team achieved historic results at the EurAsian Schools Debate Championships (ESDC 2026), with Romanian students taking all three team podium positions—gold, silver, and bronze—in a competition featuring 72 teams from 14 countries across all continents.
“The practice of debating is probably the most effective tool for sharpening critical thinking. What does it mean for a child to think critically? When they receive information, they don’t accept it at face value; instead, they start asking questions: Is this really true? Why is it so? How does this connect with other things? Is this a good thing? In addition, debates contribute significantly to the development of emotional resilience. In a debate match, every argument is challenged, analyzed, and put under pressure, and participants must respond to criticism in real time without taking it personally. Students learn to handle loss, to receive tough but constructive feedback, and to come back better prepared for the next round”, explains Emanuel Beteringhe.
In Romania, the educational debate movement is supported through a network of over 100 schools hosting debate clubs, mostly in public high schools but also in private schools. These clubs are generally coordinated by volunteer teachers, often from the humanities or foreign languages departments, and in many cases, former high-performing students return as coaches or judges, helping to build an active, intergenerational community.
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Better Speakers (betterspeakers.eu), the main organiser, is a training and consultancy company specialising in deliberative education. Its team of 12 trainers has over 200 years of combined experience and has earned more than 50 national and international awards. The company offers debate and public speaking courses and camps in English for students in grades 5–12, as well as business argumentation programs for companies.
ARDOR (the Romanian Association for Debate, Oratory, and Rhetoric) has managed the educational debate movement nationally for nearly 30 years, collaborating with schools and the Ministry of Education, supporting the establishment of debate clubs, and coordinating Romania’s National Team for the World Schools Debating Championships. Currently, over 100 schools in Romania host debate clubs, mostly in public high schools, coordinated by volunteer teachers or former students who have become coaches themselves.
