Performance Grade Index 2023: Chandigarh, Punjab Top Performers In School Education

Chandigarh and Punjab have emerged as the top performers in school education across various indicators, including learning outcomes, equity, and infrastructure, according to the Performance Grade Index (PGI) report for the year 2021-22 released by the Union Ministry of Education on Friday.

Punjab and Chandigarh have been placed in the sixth grade of the index. The PGI grades states and UTs in 10 categories. No state or UT managed to secure a position in the top five grades. Chandigarh and Punjab have achieved a 'Prachesta-2' level, requiring a state to score between 641-700 out of a total of 1,000 points.

Following them, there are six states and UTs at the level below. Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu have been placed at the 7th level, 'Prachesta-3,' with a score ranging between 581-640 points. Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Mizoram find themselves at the bottom of the rankings, scoring between 401-460 (Akanshi-3).

In the previous year, the top-performing states, namely Kerala, Punjab, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh, scored between 901 and 950 points out of 1,000.

The government attributes the decline in scores to a change in the assessment parameters. This year, the ministry redistributed weightage to the existing parameters and introduced a new one, recognizing that the PGI assessment had been "heavily biased towards indicators related to governance processes rather than quality indicators."

Consequently, for the 'Learning Outcomes and Quality' indicator, the ministry has assigned 240 points, compared to 180 points last year. The infrastructure indicator has been allocated 190 points, up from 150 points last year. The emphasis on the equity criterion has increased from 230 to 260 points. To accommodate the increased significance of these three parameters, the government reduced the weightage of governance processes from 360 to 130 points. Additionally, a new parameter of teacher training, carrying a weightage of 100 points, has been introduced this year.

"The new PGI structure comprises 73 indicators, with a greater focus on qualitative assessment, including digital initiatives and teacher education. Consequently, the grades/levels obtained by states/UTs in the previous edition of the PGIs are not comparable to the grades/levels achieved in this new edition," the ministry stated on Friday.

"The highest and lowest scores obtained by the states/UTs in 2021-22 are 659.01 and 420.64, respectively," added the ministry.