12 students from 5 districts embark on educational tour to ISRO

Guwahati, July 24:  The third batch of students under the North East Student Programme for Awareness, Reach and Knowledge on Space (NE-SPARKS) was officially flagged off on Wednesday by Dr Om Prakash, Mission Director, Samagra Shiksha, Assam, in a ceremony held at the State Mission Office at 8:30 am.

A total of 12 meritorious students from Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Nalbari, and Udalguri districts are embarking on a learning journey to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) headquarters in Bengaluru.

Speaking at the event, Dr Om Prakash extended his best wishes to the students and encouraged them to share their experiences with their peers and neighbouring schools to foster wider interest in the field of space exploration.

The flag-off programme was attended by Sanjoy Dutta, Executive Director, Samagra Shiksha, Assam, Khanindra Das, OSD, Samagra Shiksha, Assam, alongside nodal teachers and officials of the department.

The NE-SPARKS initiative is jointly undertaken by the Department of School Education and the Department of Transformation and Development, Government of Assam. The larger programme is supported by the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC), which aims to take 800 talented science students – 100 from each of the eight north-eastern States – on an exposure trip to ISRO in a phased manner.

Students from classes IX to XII of government and provincialized schools are selected based on academic merit and a strong interest in science and space studies. During the Bengaluru visit, the students will interact with ISRO scientists, including the secretary of ISRO, and explore key facilities such as the MOX Control Centre, ISSDC, URSC, ISITE, and the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium.

By

Staff Reporter