Guwahati: 12 students from Assam off for ISRO visit

Staff reporter

Guwahati: In a continued effort to ignite scientific curiosity among school students, the third batch under the North East Student Programme for Awareness, Reach and Knowledge on Space (NE-SPARKS) was ceremoniously flagged off on Wednesday at the State Mission Office of Samagra Shiksha, Assam (SSA).

Dr. Om Prakash, Mission Director of SSA, flagged off the contingent of 12 meritorious students from the districts of Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Nalbari, and Udalguri. These students are on their way to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Headquarters in Bengaluru for an educational exposure visit.

The programme aims to provide firsthand experience of India’s space research and technological advancements. During the visit, the students will have opportunities to explore key ISRO facilities including the Mission Operations Complex (MOX), ISRO Satellite Integration and Testing Establishment (ISITE), Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC), UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), and the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium. They are also expected to interact with the  Secretary of ISRO.

In his address, Dr. Om Prakash motivated the students to share their experiences with peers in their home districts, thereby promoting wider interest in space science.

NE-SPARKS is a collaborative initiative of the Department of School Education and the Department of Transformation & Development, Government of Assam. The programme is implemented in coordination with the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC), aiming to send 100 students from each of the eight North Eastern states—totaling 800 students—to ISRO in a phased manner.

The first and second batches have already completed their visits, comprising students from districts like Baksa, Barpeta, Biswanath, Bongaigaon, Cachar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kamrup (Metro), and Majuli. Students from Classes IX to XII of government and provincialized schools are selected for the visit based on academic merit and a demonstrable interest in science and space.

Present at the event were Sanjoy Dutta, Executive Director of SSA, Khanindra Das, Officer on Special Duty, along with other officials, nodal teachers, and staff members.

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