The Education Ministry’s Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 has brought some encouraging signs for India’s government school system. Between 2017-18 and 2023-24, the gap in educational achievement between higher-performing and lower-ranked states and Union territories has narrowed from 51% to 42%, indicating measurable progress.
Despite this improvement, no state or UT has secured any of the top four PGI grades — Daksh, Utkarsh, Uttam or Ati Uttam — with all regions remaining within the Pracheshta and Akanshi categories. Chandigarh stands out as the only region to reach the Pracheshta I band, recording the highest overall score out of 1,000 and improving from Pracheshta II.
The PGI evaluates school education across six key domains: learning outcomes, access, infrastructure and facilities, equity, governance processes, and teacher education and training. Kerala emerged as the only state to achieve the Daksh grade in teacher education and training, but its weaker performance in other domains placed it among mid-ranking states. The lowest-performing states include Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and Bihar, while Chandigarh, Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat and Odisha ranked among the top performers. Odisha showed notable progress in equity by narrowing caste, gender and regional disparities.
Learning outcomes continue to be the most challenging parameter, with the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 highlighting persistent deficiencies in this area. Some states, including Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, recorded declines in performance, while others such as Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Chandigarh, Odisha and Goa posted significant improvements.
While the Centre has attributed progress to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and improved data tracking through systems like UDISE+, the PGI findings underscore the need for comprehensive and sustained reforms. Despite the narrowing gap, government schools across the country require systemic changes if states and UTs are to achieve excellence-level grades in the coming years.