Shillong: Thirty-nine students and groups from across rural Meghalaya have secured spots in the upcoming SPARK State Summit. These qualifiers emerged from a rigorous 12-district talent hunt designed to tackle gaps in soft skills and employability. The competition drew 445 performers from 80 schools who presented 249 unique entries. Selection panels in South West Khasi Hills, West Garo Hills, and North Garo Hills added special nominations to the final pool of 36 top-three district performers.
The SPARK initiative, an acronym for School Programmes in Articulation, Resilience and Kindness, focuses on human development. Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma launched the Garo Hills leg on September 2 in Tura. Sangma described the program as an investment meant to augment academic infrastructure. He noted that students often struggle with practical life skills, explaining, “While students may know academic answers, they often struggle to ask questions, explain ideas, collaborate, face interviews, or recover from failure.”
During the 2026 cycle, the program reached 12,054 students and 526 teachers. The curriculum for Classes VI to X covers everything from emotional awareness and public speaking to applied STEM modules like banking and basic circuits. Data from 8,194 records shows clear progress. Over 91 percent of students showed improvement in articulation, while 93 percent saw gains in resilience and kindness indicators.
At the North Garo Hills event, student Krismanchia R. Marak credited the training for teaching her better body language and stage management. Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui also praised the effort during an August 11 event in Shillong, stating the vision is to provide every individual with a platform to succeed. The talent hunt featured music, dance, theatre, crafts, beatboxing, rap, comedy, and speed cubing.
Qualifiers represent a broad range of schools including St. Mary’s Higher Secondary, Rymbai Government, and Chibongga RMSA Secondary. The final list includes performers like beatboxer Mebanialam Nongphud, rapper Jrangkimbo Ch. Marak, and speed cuber Md. Rehan Masud Sarkar. These students now prepare for the state level to showcase skills that extend beyond the classroom.
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