By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 28: A Samagra Shiksha initiative under the Education department, SPARK concluded its first year of implementation having impacted more than 5,000 students of classes 7 through 10 in 25 government and government-aided schools across the state. Under the initiative, a team of trainers and field officers had been travelling to the participating campuses across all 12 districts, facilitating interventions that build confidence, basic communication skills, STEM awareness and wellbeing in school students.
On October 25, as many as 1,307 students in six schools across four districts were felicitated upon completing the ten-day SPARK workshop in their respective schools.
The participants included 492 students of St. Mary Mazarello Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Jowai, West Jaintia Hills; 161 students of St. Joseph’s Girls’ Secondary School, Shillong, and 218 students of Little Flower Secondary School, Shillong, in East Khasi Hills; 153 students of Rongjeng Government Upper Primary School and 104 students of Rongjeng RMSA Secondary School, Rongjeng, in East Garo Hills; and 179 students of Dadenggre Puri Government Higher Secondary School, Dadenggre in West Garo Hills.
SPARK (School Programmes in Articulation, Resilience and Kindness) was launched in March earlier this year by Swapnil Tembe, Director of School Education and Literacy and State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha, in an effort to impart foundational soft skills to adolescent youth in schools across the state.
Speaking at the programme in Little Flower Secondary School, Shillong, Tembe shared the purpose behind the initiative, saying, “The fundamental purpose of all our initiatives is to empower you to achieve your dreams. That is what education is all about. To score 90% in your grades is one thing, but if you’re not able to express, to be resilient, to be a good citizen for our state and our country, then the education system will have failed you. SPARK is our effort to weave in these fundamental values of articulation, resilience and kindness through education.”
Referring to the need for expanding the programme further, he said, “This is the first year of SPARK and I am sure that as we attempt to reach all students across Meghalaya, we will also improve the programme interventions. We would like to see more displays of student transformation and confidence, not just on articulation, but also on talent, and even kindness.”
During the programme, Rosemary Mawthoh, a parent of one of the participants, Fabian Mawthoh, also shared her thoughts on the programme, saying, “I’d like to share how my son has changed since the SPARK programme. He was always very shy and would hardly speak. But now, I’ve noticed that he is opening up more and talking to people. I’m really grateful to the SPARK programme, especially to Swapnil Tembe, for helping him grow. I hope this programme can be offered in other schools too.”
Fabian, a student of Class 8 in Little Flower Secondary School, spoke of his takeaways from the programme, saying, “I’ve learnt that being shy won’t help me in life. Communication, confidence, and goals are important for building a better future for myself and my family. Everyone should give it a try, just like I am facing my fear of public speaking for the first time in my life. I believe that anyone can achieve their dreams with the right guidance and support. I want to thank the Education department, especially Swapnil Tembe for SPARK.”
Dimseng A Sangma, a class 9 student of Dadenggre Puri Government Higher Secondary School, shared his experience at the felicitation programme in Dadenggre. “I’ve spoken in small programmes before, but I never really knew how to start my speech. SPARK has not only built my confidence to speak in public like this, but also to prepare a speech properly. I’ve also experienced a change in the way we greet and speak with each other – with respect and kindness. Responsibility is the value I hold closest because I believe I have a duty towards my younger siblings, parents and other people in my life. I am grateful for this programme and all the teachings that I have received from it,” Sangma said.
Mark Laitflang Stone, CEO of Avenues, the implementing agency for SPARK, also spoke at the function in Shillong, stating, “Each student has been touched by a beautiful curriculum that works on the way you think, feel, speak, and most importantly, the way you choose to act when things get difficult. This is in keeping with the Government of Meghalaya’s vision to empower adolescent youth with the skills needed to thrive in life, not just survive.”
Speaking on the measures adopted to assess the programme’s impact, he shared, “The growth on a likert scale of 1 to 5 is at least 1.5 to 2 points above where the students started, as recorded through class teacher observations during in-class demonstrations.”
He also mentioned that a report of the programme findings will be published to aid future iterations and provide policy inputs to stakeholders within the Education department.
A highlight of the programme in Shillong was the launch of the SPARK Anthem, written by Kit Shangpliang, music practitioner, and arranged by his band ‘Summersalt’, and performed publicly for the first time by the students of Little Flower Secondary School, Shillong, on this day.