Tura, September 2: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Wednesday addressed the District Talent Event 2026 under SPARK Meghalaya in Tura, highlighting the programme’s role in developing communication, resilience, problem-solving and other life skills among school students.
SPARK, which stands for School Programmes in Articulation, Resilience and Kindness, is aimed at complementing academic education by strengthening the human capabilities students need to adapt to changing social and professional environments.
Addressing students, teachers and parents, Sangma said the government has made substantial investments in academic and physical infrastructure, but SPARK represents an investment in the abilities that enable young people to make effective use of those opportunities. “A student may know an answer perfectly well and still struggle to ask a question, explain an idea, work within a group, face an interview or recover from a failure. These things rarely show up on a mark sheet, yet they shape how far a young person goes in life,” he said.
Sharing his own experience, Sangma said he too had faced nervousness while speaking in public and did not have access to programmes such as SPARK during his younger days. He congratulated Team SPARK and Avenues for helping students develop confidence and communication skills.
The Chief Minister said SPARK began in 2024 as a pilot programme involving 5,143 students across 25 government schools in all 12 districts, of whom 73 per cent were girls. The programme was subsequently supported through the Ministry of Education’s SSA funding across 28 campuses, reaching more than 8,000 students, and was recognised by the Ministry as a Best NEP Practice.
Building on the pilot, the State Government has expanded it into a multi-year, State-funded intervention known as SPARK Meghalaya, focusing on soft skills, STEM awareness and talent development for students of Classes VI to X.
As of August 31, 2026, SPARK for Students had directly reached 12,078 students across 53 benchmark campuses in all 12 districts, including 6,592 girls and 5,486 boys. More than 20,000 students have benefited from the initiative since its inception, the Chief Minister said.
Sangma also highlighted SPARK for Teachers as an important component of the programme. So far, 526 teachers representing 287 schools have completed an intensive 30-hour semi-residential training programme at district headquarters. He said teachers who participated in the training had spoken about reconnecting with their purpose as educators and recognising the importance of communication and relationships within classrooms.
Referring to rapid technological changes, the Chief Minister said education systems often take years to show the impact of policy decisions, while global transformations can happen much faster. He said programmes such as SPARK could help students adapt to a changing world by building skills that remain important even as technology takes over routine tasks.
Sangma stressed that the ability to take responsibility, connect with a purpose, identify problems and find solutions would remain essential. “Problem solving is at the crux of every organisation and will be required forever,” he said.
The Chief Minister clarified that SPARK does not replace government investments in higher education, skilling and employment, but strengthens foundational human capabilities that can help young people make better use of those opportunities.
Citing the State’s STAR sports programme, Sangma said around 24,000 children had been screened over the past five years in partnership with an Australian firm using global standards.
According to him, 10 children were identified among the top one per cent globally as “super athletes”, despite some coming from remote areas without previous training or even proper sporting equipment.
He said one child from a rural area clocked 10.8 seconds in the 100 metres, which he cited as an example of raw talent being present across Meghalaya. “This proves raw talent is distributed across every corner of the State. It is our responsibility to ensure opportunity reaches children where they are,” Sangma said.
He added that Meghalaya’s relatively small population should not limit its ambitions, arguing that quality, rather than numbers, would determine the State’s productivity and growth.
The Chief Minister assured that the government would continue supporting SPARK as a long-term programme. “My commitment is that Government will continue to sustain SPARK as a long-term handholding programme, because the confidence we build in a child today is confidence Meghalaya will draw upon for decades to come,” he said.
