Which state performed the best in school education, which worst
What's the story
Chandigarh, Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, and Odisha have emerged as the top performers in the 2023-24 Performing Grade Index for Districts (PGI-D), a report by the Ministry of Education has said.
The PGI-D evaluates school education performance at district levels across states and Union Territories (UTs).
Other high-performing regions include Kerala, Daman and Diu, Haryana, Goa, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.
Bottom performers
Meghalaya ranked lowest; gap between top and bottom-performing states narrows
Meghalaya has been ranked as the lowest-performing state in the latest PGI-D report.
Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and West Bengal are among the average performers.
The report highlights a narrowing gap between India's top- and bottom-performing states over time, with interstate performance disparity reducing from 51% in 2017-18 to 41% in 2023-24.
Assessment criteria
PGI-D score based on 74 indicators
The PGI-D evaluates school education performance on a scale of 600 points across 74 indicators.
These are divided into six categories: Outcomes, Effective Classroom Transaction, Infrastructure Facilities and Student Entitlements, School Safety and Child Protection, Digital Learning, and Governance Process.
Further, they are classified into 11 domains including Learning Outcomes and Quality; Access Outcomes; Teacher Availability & Professional Development Outcomes; Learning Management; Learning Enrichment Activities; Infrastructure Facilities etc.
Grading system
Biggest movers; highest achievable grade
The highest achievable grade in PGI-D is "Utkarsh," awarded to districts scoring over 90% of total points. Scores are then reduced by an equal width of 10% for arriving at the next grade.
Among the biggest movers over the past two years were Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Chandigarh, and Goa.
Delhi recorded the highest year-on-year improvement but couldn't be compared over a two-year span due to unavailable baseline data.
Progress report
No state has reached top 4 grade bands
Despite progress, no state or UT has reached the top four grade bands of "Daksh," "Utkarsh," "Atti-Uttam," or "Uttam."
The highest grade achieved so far is Prachesta-1.
The findings highlight the need for sustained policy efforts and governance reforms to meet targets under National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Sustainable Development Goal 4.