Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma felicitated outstanding students at the SPARK Meghalaya District Talent Event in Tura, highlighting the programme’s role in developing confidence, communication skills and talent among young learners. Sangma said he was impressed by the confidence and abilities displayed by participating students and noted that programmes such as SPARK were unavailable during his own school days. Launched as a small pilot in 2024, SPARK has expanded to reach 12,078 students across 53 campuses in all 12 districts, with more than 20,000 students benefiting from the initiative so far. The Chief Minister said Meghalaya’s future would depend not on the size of its population but on the quality, capabilities and confidence of its people. Through activities focused on articulation, resilience, kindness, STEM awareness and talent development, the programme aims to help students communicate effectively, overcome challenges, solve problems and build self-belief. Sangma stressed that investing in children’s confidence today would have a lasting impact on the state’s development, saying the confidence nurtured among young people would shape Meghalaya for generations to come.