Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Kerala top performers in national school index

In the performance grading index (PGI) of 2019-20, the Union education ministry said, for the first time, five states and UTs have crossed the threshold of 90% PGI score and reached Level 2 or “Grade I++”. Other than Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Union territories of Chandigarh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands are in this category with a score between 901 to 950, on a scale of 1000.

But for the third year in a row, none of the Indian states and UTs have reached Level-1, the ministry report showed. However, in 2019-20, entry of five states and UTs in Level 2 is an indication of progress in school performance.

“Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have improved overall PGI score by 10%, i.e., 100 or more points,” the report said.

To be sure, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry are not in the top level as yet despite their improvement in the overall score.

Just behind the five top performers at level 2, seven regions—Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh and Dadra and Nagar Haveli have been placed with a score of 851-900.

The PGI exercise envisages that the Index would propel states and UTs towards undertaking multi-pronged interventions that will bring about the much-desired optimal education outcomes. The PGI is structured in two categories, namely, Outcomes and Governance and Management and comprises 70 indicators in aggregate with a total weightage of 1000.