By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 8: Meghalaya’s school-based soft skills initiative — SPARK (School Programmes in Articulation, Resilience & Kindness) — has received national recognition at the Indian Education Congress & Awards 2026, held on February 5 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Members of the implementation team — Avenues, Meghalaya — received the award on behalf of the programme at the ceremony.
The programme won in the “Community Engagement and Social Impact in Education” category.
SPARK operates in government schools across districts and is implemented under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, with the state’s Education department providing institutional alignment and oversight. The programme is delivered directly on school campuses in partnership with school leadership and teachers, ensuring that it complements academic instruction.
SPARK was recognised for its programme design, delivery model and documented outcomes as an intervention that works alongside school systems to strengthen confidence, communication, resilience, critical thinking, and early employability readiness among students in the middle and secondary school years.
The initiative was conceptualised to address long-observed gaps in schooling that extend beyond syllabus completion. Many students continue to struggle with articulation, classroom participation, fear of public speaking, emotional regulation, and the confidence to ask questions or express ideas. These challenges often affect learning engagement and later transition into higher education, skilling and work. SPARK focuses on these gaps during Classes 6 to 10, when habits, confidence, and aspiration are still forming, combining structured soft skills modules with hands-on activities, including applied STEM experiences that encourage problem-solving and real-world thinking.
During the 2024-25 pilot phase, the SPARK initiative was implemented across 12 districts covering 25 government schools, reaching 5,143 students with approximately 20 hours of structured engagement per student. Impact was assessed using pre and post-intervention tools, including teacher observations on a five-point Likert scale and student self-assessment surveys covering 28 indicators. Teachers reported improvements in eye contact, confidence, body language, public speaking and interpersonal skills, while students reported strong growth in curiosity, clarity of thought, confidence, communication, community orientation, and conduct.
A crucial component of SPARK is its teacher-facing element, which focuses on habit formation and classroom practices. Teachers are supported to reinforce articulation, reflection and positive behaviour through simple, repeatable actions integrated into everyday teaching, helping ensure continuity beyond facilitated sessions.
The national recognition comes as SPARK prepares for its next phase of rollout. Building on the pilot-phase lessons, the programme is being strengthened to reach more schools while deepening engagement through handholding and continued training across classes, stronger integration with school processes, and continued emphasis on measurement and feedback.
As education systems across the country grapple with preparing students for uncertainty, change, and evolving career landscapes, SPARK offers an example of how confidence, communication, resilience and critical thinking can be nurtured within school environments without disrupting academic priorities.
For Meghalaya, the recognition marks a moment of visibility for a programme rooted in local realities yet aligned with broader conversations around the National Education Policy’s focus on holistic and future-ready education. As SPARK expands, the emphasis remains on strengthening foundational capabilities so that students are better equipped not only to complete schooling, but to navigate education, work and life with confidence and clarity.
The Indian Education Congress is one of India’s prominent national education platforms, bringing together policymakers, educators, institutions, and practitioners from across the country. The Congress and Awards recognise initiatives, institutions and programmes that demonstrate depth of impact and evidence-backed outcomes, with the awards process tabulated by EY.
