Investing at every stage of life is key, says CM Conrad K Sangma at SPARK Summit
Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday attended the SPARK Summit 2025 at U Soso Tham Auditorium, Shillong. Also present during the occasion were Minister, Education, Rakkam A Sangma, MLA, Kharkutta, Rupert M Momin, Secretary, Education, Swapnil Tembe and Director of School Education & Literacy, Banteilang Kharshandi among others.
Delivering his address, Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, said that a large segment of the population think that the government works on schemes and programs but shedding light on the strategy of the government he informed that the different programs in different sectors are connected in realising the vision set for the state. He further stated that a bulk of India’s population is between the age group of 15-19 years and in Meghalaya the highest population is between the age of 0-4 years with 49 % of the population below 20 years of age and added, “This is really what the challenge is but also where the opportunity lies and programs like SPARK, Early Childhood Development Program, MPower, MGMP, YES Meghalaya, programs on sports, are all investments.”
The Chief Minister also informed that to be able to take advantage of the demographic dividend there is a need to invest in the youth at every stage of their life. “Meghalaya is one of the few states that focuses on the life cycle approach and there are different programs for early childhood development, adolescence, youth and adulthood and the investments we make in these programs will yield exponential results in the years to come,” he said. Referring to the age group between 9-19 years that is the adolescence stage, he said that this is the time when an individual faces numerous challenges and the age when guidance is needed the most and also stated that partners like Avenues that drive programs like SPARK to support, nurture, guide and counsel the adolescents to move forward into adulthood as positive, efficient and responsible citizens.
Talking about the growth trajectory of the state, the Chief Minister said, “If Meghalaya wants to be one of the best states in the country we will have to work and invest at every level but inspite of the challenges and difficulties we are determined to take the state forward and I am confident that with the programs, policies and the focus with which we are moving we will achieve the goal.”
The Chief Minister and the other dignitaries also distributed a tablet to meritorious students and certificates to schools who had participated in the SPARK program. SPARK, which is an acronym of School Programs in Articulation, Resilience and Kindness, is a government initiative that aims to empower students with life skills, particularly focusing on communication, resilience, and empathy. It’s a part of the National Education Policy (NEP) and has been recognized as a successful implementation by the Education Ministry. The program is implemented by AVENUES, a training partner, and is supported by the Samagra Shiksha initiative under the Education Department. The program has shown tangible outcomes, with students demonstrating improved public speaking, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.
The program was also marked with performances and also by testimonials by students who delivered their speeches with great aplomb.
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