A team of 25 girl students from the state, selected from the entire eastern region will participate in the coveted National School Band Competition for Republic Day Celebrations 2024. This state team, fully from St. Xavier's Higher Secondary School, Pathaliaghat under Sepahijala district has already reached the National Capital to participate in the competition to be held at the National Stadium in Delhi on 21st and 22nd January on the occasion of Republic Day 2024.

State Education Officer, Kalipada Chakma, who is also coordinating officer of the competition informed that the team, in the earlier stage of the zonal competition held in Bhubaneswar on 22nd December, won first place in the eastern region, beating several small and big states of the eastern region including Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal. The Girl’s Brass Band of St. Xavier’s Higher Secondary School Pathaliaghat, consists of 25 girls aged between 11 to 16 and from class 6-8. They hail from different interior villages of Tripura. The band team is just 8 months old and they have performed at three different places and bagged First Prizes in all these three events. Interestingly, their band classes were held for 15 days and they mastered the instruments within a short duration of time.

Also, the Government Mizo High School, winner of the Eastern Zone Competition in the Boy’s category held in December 2023, will be competing in the National Competition in the Pipe Band Boys category. The band consists of 25 boys, and they have been practicing for eight months in preparation for the National School Band Competition 2024.

Officials said out of 73 schools that participated at the zonal level, four teams have qualified from each Zone such as the Eastern Zone, Western Zone, Southern Zone, and Northern Zone.  A total of 16 band teams will participate in the National Level Band Competition at the National Stadium. At the National level, the winning teams in each category will be given a cash prize, a trophy and certificates. Since its introduction in 2017, hundreds of schools have participated in the competition, which is organised at three levels - state, zonal and national.