In June 2025, the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India (GoI), released the ‘Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 report for 2022-23 and 2023-24’, which evaluates the performance school education system at the State/Union Territory (UT) level by creating an index for comprehensive analysis.
- Chandigarhsecured the highest score of 703 in 2023-24, becoming the only State/UT to achieve the Prachesta-1 grade (701–760 range), and retained its top position for the third consecutive year.
- Meghalaya ranked lowest with a score of 417.9, falling into the lowest Akanshi‑3 (401–460) band.
About Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0:
i.The Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 is an evidence-based framework developed by the MoE, Government of India (GoI), to evaluate the school education system across all States and UTs using a structured and data-driven approach.
ii.Launched in 2017, revamped to PGI 2.0 in 2021, aligned with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
iii.Structure: It comprises 73 indicators, across six domains namely, Learning Outcomes & Quality, Access, Infrastructure & Facilities, Equity, Governance Processes, and Teacher Education & Training.
iv.Scoring and Grading: States/UTs are assessed on a scale of 1,000 points and placed into 10 performance grades. The grades reflect the level of development in each area of school education. Some grade bands in PGI 2.0 are
- Daksh (Top Grade): Scores above 940
- Utkarsh: Scores between 881 – 940
- Akanshi-2: Scores between 461 – 520
- Akanshi-3 (Lowest Grade): Scores up to 460
v.Data Sources: PGI 2.0 uses comprehensive data from multiple national sources, including:
- National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021
- Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+)
- Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN)
- Project Appraisal, Budgeting, Achievements and Data Handling System (PRABANDH), and Vidyanjali portal.
PGI Score of Top 5 States/UTs for 2022-23:
| State/UT | PGI Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Chandigarh | 687.8 | Prachesta-2 |
| Punjab | 614.1 | Prachesta-3 |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 606.4 | Prachesta-3 |
| Gujarat | 602.2 | Prachesta-3 |
| Kerala | 601.9 | Prachesta-3 |
PGI Score of Top 5 States/UTs for 2023-24:
| State/UT | PGI Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Chandigarh | 703 | Prachesta-1 |
| Punjab | 631.1 | Prachesta-3 |
| Delhi | 623.7 | Prachesta-3 |
| Gujarat | 614.4 | Prachesta-3 |
| Odisha | 595.6 | Prachesta-3 |
Key Findings of PGI 2.0 for 2023-23:
i.Top Performers: Chandigarh topped the index, followed by Punjab with 631.1 and Delhi with 623.7, placing all three in the Prachesta grade bands for 2023–24.
ii.Bottom Performers: Meghalaya recorded the lowest score, followed by Arunachal Pradesh (461.4), Mizoram (464.2), Nagaland (468.6), and Bihar (471.9).
iii.No State/UT in Top Grade: Notably, no State or UT achieved placement in the top four grade bands, i.e., Daksh, Utkarsh, Atti-Uttam, or Uttam, which require scores above 761 out of 1000.
iv.States in Prachesta-3 (581-640): Punjab, Delhi, Kerala, Gujarat, Odisha, Haryana, Goa, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.
v.States in Middle Range (521-580): Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
vi.The report highlighted a wide disparity in school education performance, with a gap of over 300 points between the highest score of 719 and the lowest score of 417, reflecting significant inter-state and UT-level variations in educational outcomes.
vi.Improvement Trends:
Out of 36 States and UTs, 25 recorded an improvement in their overall PGI 2.0 scores in 2023–24 compared to 2022–23.
- Top 3 States/UTs with sharpest increase: Delhi (+44 points), Himachal Pradesh (HP) and Haryana (each saw +41 points), and Puducherry (+37 points).
vii.Domain-wise Highlights:
Access to Education Domain: Bihar, Jharkhand, and Telangana showed the highest improvements in this domain, which measures enrolment, retention, transition rates, and reduction in out-of-school children.
- Odisha achieved the highest score in this domain, securing the Daksh grade.
Infrastructure & Facilities Domain: Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, and Telangana demonstrated the most significant gains in this domain, which includes the availability of toilets, safe drinking water, electricity, and digital learning resources.
