Shillong, Apr 24: As many as 171 students of Pine Mount School were felicitated at a certification programme held on the school premises on Wednesday. The students were the participants of the pilot training interventions under SPARK (School Programmes in Articulation, Resilience and Kindness), organised by the Department of Education and Samagra Shiksha – State Education Mission Authority of Meghalaya (SEMAM). The programme was conducted for a duration of 20 hours and was implemented by AVENUES, Shillong.
In a bid to impart core soft skills that have emerged as critical needs for the youth of the state, the foundational training under SPARK helps instil career and life readiness through sessions that nurture self-worth and confidence, communication skills, critical thinking through STEM-based activities and emotional wellbeing.
Swapnil Tembe, State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, who was present at the certification programme interacted with the student participants. Speaking of the vision behind SPARK, he stressed on the need to build confidence as young adults. “You have different dreams and goals. But no matter what career you choose – medical, teaching, engineering, administration or entrepreneurship – you need to first have the confidence to do it. It will not happen overnight, but it is good to see you have started to speak up, ask questions and work on your communication skills,” he said. He further added that resilience is a crucial skill to succeed in life. “We may not always succeed in the first attempt, and it is important to accept failure and not give up,” he added.
Referring to the need to practise kindness and human values, he said, “While success is important to us individually, kindness is the only way for the world to thrive. This, at your age, is the right time to build on all these skills that you will need in any path in life.”
Daphibawanri L Synrem, Class 8, Pine Mount School, Shillong, spoke of her experience with SPARK saying, “I always thought I was confident. But through SPARK, I realised it is more than just being comfortable around your friends. I am now braver to speak with teachers or to ask them questions in class. So, SPARK has really helped me build my confidence and taught me how to communicate more effectively. Our trainers also taught us about the importance of values and those sessions really stuck with me because I believe that if you’re just smart and you get good grades, but if you don’t have or practise any values, there’s really no point”.
Adonasherisa R Phawa, also a student of Class 8, Pine Mount School, Shillong, said, “My trainers have helped me communicate better with my classmates, and I am now able to express myself to them. I feel closer to them, even the ones who I’ve not always been close with. We’ve become better friends and we’ve learned how to work together as a group. SPARK has been very different from our regular classes because some of my classmates who were shy and distant from the rest of us are now able to speak up and be a bit more confident. They are able to express their feelings and ask questions when they are asked.”
During his interactions with the students inside their classrooms , Tembe encouraged maximum participation from the students. Some of the students shared their programme experience and a few groups displayed their presentations on social issues and STEM projects, that touched upon the resilience and kindness components of the programme. The presentations were an effort to conduct on-the-spot assessments and gauge articulation and public speaking skills ranging from personal and team introductions to receiving questions from audiences, project walk-throughs, body language, audience connect and stage presence. The classroom engagements concluded with the handing over of certificates by the State Project Director, SSA, to Wertimon Dkhar, Principal, Pine Mount School, Shillong.
Department officials, members of the implementing agency Avenues, and school staff were also present at the event.
The upcoming training interventions under SPARK will commence in all other districts in the coming weeks. Over 2,700 students from 15 campuses across 12 districts have already been enrolled in the programme.
