Punjab, Chandigarh, TN among Top 5 in Performance Grading Index

New Delhi: Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Sunday approved the release of Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20 for states and Union Territories (UTs) of India, under which Punjab, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Kerala have occupied the highest grade (Grade A++).

The Government has introduced the Performance Grading Index with a set of 70 parameters to catalyse transformational change in the field of school education.

''Punjab, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Kerala occupy the highest grade (Grade A++) for 2019-20,'' the Ministry of Education said in a statement.

Most of the states and UTs have improved their grade in PGI 2019-20 compared to the earlier years, it said.

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

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Punjab have shown improvement by 10 per cent (8 points) or more in the PGI domain: Access, it said.

As many as thirteen states and UTs have shown improvement by 10 per cent (15 points) or more in the PGI domain: Infrastructure and Facilities. Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Odisha have shown improvement by 20 per cent or more, the Ministry said.

Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Odisha have shown more than 10 per cent improvement in the PGI domain: Equity, it said.

Nineteen states and UTs have shown improvement by 10 per cent (36 points) or more in the PGI domain: Governance Process. Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal have shown improvement by at least 20 per cent (72 points or more), the statement said.

The PGI for states and Union Territories was first published in 2019 with reference year 2017-18. The PGI : States and UTs for 2019-20 is the third publication in this series.

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 helps the states and UTs to pinpoint the gaps and accordingly prioritise areas for intervention to ensure that the school education system is robust at every level. (UNI)