Our Reporter
Dimapur, Nov.3 (EMN): Nagaland has been graded Level VI of the Performance Grading Index (PGI), released by the department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education on Thursday.
Nagaland scored 728 points out of 1000 where the Learning Outcomes (LO) score was 126/180, Access (A) was 55/80, Infrastructure and Facilities (IF) was 117/150, Equity (E) was 210/230 and Governance Process (GP) was 220/360.
In 2017-18, Nagaland scored 557; in 2018-19, the score was 621; in 2019-20 it was 667.
Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur and Uttarakhand were at Level VI with scores between 701 and 750, whereas Arunachal Pradesh was the lone state at the bottom (Level VII), with a score of 669.
As was done in previous years, PGI 2020-21 classified the states/UTs into 10 grades --the highest achievable grade being Level 1, for states/UT scoring more than 950 points out of total of 1000 points; and the lowest being Level 10 for scores below 551.
Six states were at Level IV which included Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Ladakh, and Tripura with scores between 801 and 850.
Bihar, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim and Telangana were at Level V with scores between 751 and 800.
According to the index, a total of seven states and UTs which includes Kerala (with the highest score of 930), Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh have attained Level II (score 901-950) in 2020-21 as compared to none in 2017-18 and IV in 2019-20.
Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh were the new entrants to the highest achieved level of any state so far.
“The prime objective of PGI is to promote evidence-based policy making and highlight course correction to ensure quality education for all. The PGI structure comprises of 1000 points across 70 indicators grouped into two categories outcomes and Governance Management (GM). These categories are further divided into five domains, Learning Outcomes (LO), Access (A), Infrastructure& Facilities (IF), Equity (E) & Governance Process (GP),” the report by the Ministry of Education stated.
However as per the data available, no states were on level I. Seven states made it on level II with a score (901 - 950), 12 states -- Andaman & Nicobar Islands; Puducherry; Dadra and Nagar; Haveli and Daman and Diu; Haryana; Tamil Nadu; Himachal Pradesh; Uttar Pradesh; Karnataka; West Bengal; Lakshadweep; NCT of Delhi; and Odisha -- made it to level III with scores between 851 and 900.
The ultimate aim of PGI is to propel states and UTs towards undertaking multi-pronged interventions that will bring about the much-desired optimal education outcomes covering all dimensions. The PGI is expected to help 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, it added.