Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana among top graders in school education

Chandigarh, Punjab, Delhi and Gujarat have emerged as the top performers in the Ministry of Education’s 2023–24 Performance Grading Index (PGI) report. Joining them on the list of high scorers are Haryana, Kerala, Daman and Diu, Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

Meghalaya, however, has been ranked as the lowest-performing state. Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Ladakh have received average scores, while states like Telangana, Assam, Jharkhand, Tripura, and Manipur were among the least performing.

The scores obtained by states and union territories this year range from a minimum of 417 to a maximum of 719. Based on these scores, the PGI classifies states into five grades: Prachesta-1, Prachesta-3, Akanshi-1, Akanshi-2 and Akanshi-3.

Only Chandigarh attained the highest grade, Prachesta-1 (score range: 701–760), with a score of 703, an improvement from 687.8 in 2022–23. Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Odisha, Kerala, Daman and Diu, Haryana, Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan were placed in the Prachesta-3 category (581–640 score range).

Fourteen states and union territories, including Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Ladakh fall under the Akanshi-1 grade (521–580).

Telangana, Assam, Jharkhand, Tripura, Manipur, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh were assigned the Akanshi-2 grade (461–520), while Meghalaya alone was placed in the lowest Akanshi-3 category (401–460), with a score of just 42 per cent. Most other states scored above 50 per cent, the ministry said.

The PGI 2.0 framework evaluates states across six key domains: Learning outcomes, access, infrastructure and facilities, equity, governance process and teacher education and training.

In the infrastructure and facilities domain, which measures availability of ICT infrastructure and timely supply of textbooks and uniforms, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Telangana registered the highest improvements. In the governance process domain, which tracks digital attendance, electronic fund transfers and fund release timelines, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Arunachal Pradesh emerged as top performers.

The Performance Grading Index aims at offering a detailed assessment of school education across states, highlighting both strengths and areas needing policy focus.