By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 23: Meghalaya’s SPARK (School Programmes in Articulation, Resilience and Kindness) initiative is back in action, kicking off its second year with tremendous enthusiasm. The programme, which focuses on developing essential life skills like articulation, resilience and kindness, has already shown remarkable results, with over 5,000 students benefiting from it in 2024.
Now in its second year, SPARK is looking to build on the foundations of its 2024 edition, which reached over 5,000 students across 12 districts. This year, it returns to SSA schools with a renewed focus — handholding returning students while welcoming a new cohort. In total, it aims to reach more than 7,000 students across the state this year.
The first phase of SPARK 2025 concluded on October 17 and 18 across 10 campuses in eight districts, reaching 2,365 students. Each campus celebrated with a Certification Day event that brought together students, teachers, principals, and guests to honour learning, growth, and renewed confidence.
As the next phase begins on October 27, SPARK will continue across SSA schools, carrying the same spirit that has begun transforming classrooms across the state.
Jovita War, a Class 9 student from Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Jowai, shared how SPARK helped her find her voice. Once afraid to speak, she said, “Through SPARK, I learned to respect myself, to speak, and to share my thoughts with confidence. Life is full of chaos, but I’ve learned to focus, to lead my own life, and to write my own story.” In Baghmara, Deputy Commissioner Sumit Kumar Singh, IAS, applauded students, teachers, and the SPARK team for their commitment to holistic learning. He reminded students that confidence is built one step at a time. “No one becomes a perfect speaker in a day,” he said, encouraging them to keep speaking and learning. Drawing from his own experiences, he added that SPARK is helping students develop skills that are “a foundation for future success.”
The 2024 outcomes provided the foundation for this year’s framework. Teachers had reported an 86% improvement in articulation and audience engagement, and an 83% rise in curiosity and STEM participation. These insights helped shape SPARK 2025’s evolved model, deepening its focus on comprehension, collaboration, and confidence while embedding continuity for returning students.
Kritilla D Sangma, a Class 9 student from Ampati Government Higher Secondary School, shared how SPARK helped her overcome shyness and self-doubt. “Before SPARK, I was shy and scared to speak,” she said. “But through the sessions, I learned to understand my feelings, my strengths, and my weaknesses. Now I feel confident, calm, and ready to face any challenge. SPARK has helped me find my voice and my true self.”
Built on the belief that confidence, comprehension, and kindness are teachable, life-changing skills, SPARK (School Programmes in Articulation, Resilience and Kindness) engages students through a 20-hour, campus-based learning journey.
Trainers from Avenues lead sessions alongside teachers, who sustain practices through SPARK’s Habit-Building Calendar, ensuring learning continues beyond the programme.
The curriculum rests on three guiding values – Articulation, Resilience, and Kindness (ARK) – embodied through six learning personas: the Builder, Storyteller, Collaborator, Explorer, Helper, and Artist. Each persona represents a facet of growth, from creativity and teamwork to empathy and problem-solving.
SPARK’s strength lies in its collaboration.
The Department of Education provides direction and policy vision, while the State Education Mission Authority of Meghalaya (SEMAM-SSA) — under the Ministry of Education — ensures quality and alignment with state and national priorities. Avenues Meghalaya, the implementing agency, brings its design and facilitation expertise, translating vision into impact. At the centre of it all are teachers who nurture articulation, resilience, and kindness daily, ensuring SPARK’s practices live on beyond the classroom.
Chume S Marak, a teacher in Baghmara, shared, “Through this programme, our students have learned so much – their confidence, communication, and behaviour have all improved. The sessions were lively, full of lessons and games that taught them values and courage.”
Across districts – from Shillong to Ampati, Nongstoin to Baghmara — SPARK is helping students rediscover confidence, curiosity, and compassion. It’s seen in a student explaining an experiment with clarity, a trainer cheering as a classroom comes alive, or a quiet act of kindness that changes a day.
The 10 campuses in the first phase of training interventions included Little Flower Secondary School, Shillong, in East Khasi Hills; Tirot Sing Memorial Government Higher Secondary School, Nongkhlaw, and Umthlong Nongthliew Government Higher Secondary School, Nongthliew, in Eastern West Khasi Hills; Bajengdoba Government Upper Primary School, Upper Bajengdoba, and Bajengdoba RMSA Secondary School, Upper Bajengdoba, in North Garo Hills; Baghmara Government Higher Secondary School, Baghmara, in South Garo Hills; Ampati Government Higher Secondary School, Ampati, in South West Garo Hills; Mawthawpdah Presbyterian Higher Secondary School, Mawthawpdah, in South West Khasi Hills; Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Jowai, in West Jaintia Hills; and Sibsingh Memorial Government Higher Secondary School, Nongstoin, in West Khasi Hills.
