Context:
The Ministry of Education has released the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 report for 2022–23 and 2023–24, evaluating the performance of States and Union Territories (UTs) on school education quality. The report offers an evidence-based analysis of educational outcomes and infrastructure in alignment with NEP 2020 and UN SDGs.
What is PGI 2.0?
- Launched: 2017 (PGI 2.0 introduced to align with NEP 2020).
- Published by: Ministry of Education, Government of India.
- Purpose: To assess school education performance using evidence-based indicators.
- Coverage: 6 domains, 73 indicators.
- Learning Outcomes
- Access
- Infrastructure & Facilities
- Equity
- Governance Processes
- Teacher Education & Training
- Scoring: Out of 1,000 points, classified into 10 performance levels from ‘Daksh’ (951–1000) to ‘Akanshi-3’ (401–460).
Key Findings of PGI 2.0 (2022–24)
- Top Performer: Chandigarh scored 703 points, ranked in ‘Prachesta-1’ (701–760 band), driven by strong governance, infrastructure, and digital adoption.
- Lowest Performer: Meghalaya, with 417 points, placed in the lowest grade — ‘Akanshi-3’, indicating severe gaps in access and learning outcomes.
- No State/UT reached the top four bands (Daksh or Utkarsh), revealing systemic gaps in quality education.
Domain-Specific Performance
- Learning Outcomes:
- No State reached Daksh.
- Chandigarh, Punjab, Puducherry reached ‘Prachesta-2’ — the highest among all.
- Foundational literacy and numeracy remain a national concern.
- Access:
- Odisha is the only State in ‘Daksh’ (941–1000) — reflecting excellent enrolment and retention.
- Bihar, Telangana, Jharkhand made significant improvements.
- Infrastructure:
- Chandigarh is in ‘Ati Uttam’ (821–880) band.
- Delhi, Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman Diu reached ‘Uttam’ level.
- Equity:
- Most States are within the first three bands.
- Gaps in SC/ST and general category learning outcomes are narrowing but still persist.
- Governance & Digital Monitoring:
- Chandigarh led in UDISE+ adoption and transparent fund usage.
- Improvements observed in data-based governance practices.
Overall Trends in PGI 2.0 Report
Positive Developments:
- 24 States/UTs improved scores in 2023–24 over the previous year.
- Equity and gender parity are showing gradual improvement.
- Infrastructure upgrades seen in Delhi, J&K, Telangana—supporting NEP 2020 goals.
- Strong access gains in low-performing states like Bihar and Jharkhand through targeted interventions.
Persistent Challenges:
- No State achieved Daksh or Utkarsh levels—indicating lack of excellence in school education outcomes.
- Foundational learning remains weak, as seen in NAS 2021 outcomes.
- High inter-state disparity — a 286-point difference between Chandigarh and Meghalaya.
- Decline in performance of 12 States/UTs including Bihar, Karnataka, West Bengal, Ladakh—signaling slow recovery post-COVID.
- Critical infrastructure gaps (toilets, libraries, labs) persist in aspirational and low-ranked States.
