Abbey Community College emerge victorious at Inter Schools Senior Debating Competition
Students opposed the introduction of AI in Post Primary School Education
Abbey Community College and Gaelcholáiste Cheatharlach met on Tuesday 14 May at the Newpark Hotel, County Kilkenny in the final of the Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board Inter Schools Senior Debating Competition 2025. Debating the motion: AI should be Officially Integrated into the Post Primary School Education System, both teams put forward compelling arguments for the proposition and for the opposition.
Chief Adjudicator Clare Ryan spoke of both teams’ knowledge and understanding of the subject matter, remarking on the teams’ references being outstanding throughout. Ryan also noted that the “teams worked superbly together, their arguments built in an incremental way”.
The motion was not carried seeing Abbey Community College taking home the trophy for a second year running.
Team captain Mara Matthews along with her team Kate Ann Daniels, Vita Marohnic, with timekeeping by Saoirse Corcoran, set out their opposing argument to the motion with Mara stating that AI was “a serious threat to our school ethos… AI diminishes our critical thinking skills… and we do not need AI educating us”.
Laura Fitzpatrick, Rebecca Buggy, Ciara Gaffney, Kate Ann Daniels, Mara Matthews, Vita Marohnic and Saoirse Corcoran with Pauline Egan
Second speaker Kate Ann Daniels asked, “How long does it take for AI to become a crutch?” Remaining true to their school’s core values, third speaker Vita argued that “it’s not progress, it’s a path that leads us away from our core values… do we want classrooms led by code or by compassion?”
Students of Gaelcholáiste Cheatharlach Teegan Nic Eochaidh Ní Ghuaire, Ava Ní Dhéin and Faith Nic Aogáin, chaired Colleen Ní Mhurchú, put forward their argument for the introduction saying “AI is already part of our education experience… children are growing up with TikTok, not textbooks. They swipe before they speak”.
Colleen Ní Mhurchú, Ava Ní Dhéin, Teegan Nic Eochaidh Ní Ghuaire and Faith Nic Aogáin with Pauline Egan, KCETB acting Chief Executive
Pauline Egan, acting Chief Executive of KCETB said “This competition speaks to our commitment to promoting the student voice”, and thanked students for “their courage to stand up and debate” while also expressing gratitude to the teachers for coaching and mentoring their students throughout the year.
The final was the culmination of 12 schools taking part in the competition, with semi-finalists from Borris College and Kilkenny City Vocational School also in attendance to receive their certificates.