Staff reporter
Guwahati: In a significant step to foster scientific curiosity and space awareness among young minds, the Education Minister, Dr. Ranoj Pegu, flagged off the second batch of students under the North East Student Programme for Awareness, Reach and Knowledge on Space (NE-SPARKS) on Wednesday from the State Mission Office, Samagra Shiksha, Assam.
A total of 13 meritorious students from the districts of Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kamrup (Metro), and Majuli are en route to Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Headquarters in Bengaluru. The visit aims to provide students from Classes IX to XII of Government and Provincialized schools an immersive experience into India’s space research and technological advancements.
The flag-off event was graced by Dr. Om Prakash, Mission Director of Samagra Shiksha, Assam; Sanjoy Dutta, Executive Director; and along with other officials and staff of Samagra Shiksha. The initiative is jointly implemented by the Department of School Education and the Department of Transformation & Development, Government of Assam.
NE-SPARKS is part of a broader initiative undertaken by the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC), aiming to send 800 science students, 100 from each of the eight Northeastern states, to ISRO in phased batches. Each group comprises 13 students and one Teacher Coordinator.
Notably, the first batch of Assam students visited ISRO from April 21 to April 24, 2025, including students from Baksa, Barpeta, Biswanath, Bongaigaon, and Cachar, accompanied by a Teacher Coordinator from Kamrup (Metro).
During their visit, students will get a rare opportunity to interact with the Secretary of ISRO and tour significant facilities such as the MOX Control Centre, Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC), U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), ISRO Satellite Integration and Testing Establishment (ISITE), and the Jawahar Nehru Planetarium.
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