Assam climbs to 12th spot among 36 states-UTs in Performance Grading Index

way2barak, June 2: Assam has registered a dramatic jump in the national school education rankings, climbing 15 places to secure the 12th position among 36 States and Union Territories in the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 for 2024-25 released by the Ministry of Education.

The state improved its composite score from 511.5 in 2023-24 to 593.6 in 2024-25, moving up from the ‘Akanshi-2’ grade band to ‘Prachesta-3’, in what the report termed one of the country’s most impressive turnarounds in school education performance.

Assam, which was ranked 27th in the previous assessment cycle, emerged as one of the biggest movers nationally and now figures in the top-third of states and UTs in the country. The latest rankings placed Assam ahead of States such as Gujarat, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and West Bengal.

According to the report, Assam’s strongest gains came in Governance Processes, where the State secured 85.3 out of 130 and attained the ‘Uttam-3’ grade – a level achieved by only four States/UTs nationally. The domain evaluates factors such as digital attendance systems, fund release timelines, mainstreaming of out-of-school children and adoption of the Vidyanjali portal.

The State also showed improvement in Infrastructure and Facilities, scoring 92 out of 190 under indicators related to ICT labs, smart classrooms, sanitation, drinking water and health services in schools.

In the Equity domain, Assam maintained a strong ‘Uttam-1’ grade with 227.7 out of 260, reflecting performance in reducing disparities across gender, social categories and rural-urban divides.

However, the report identified Teacher Education and Training as an area requiring further attention. Assam scored 53.8 out of 100 in the category, which assesses professional qualifications, counselling capability and teacher data management systems.

The PGI 2.0 evaluates states across six domains – learning outcomes, access, infrastructure, equity, governance and teacher education – with a total score of 1,000. The assessment is based on data from PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 and UDISE+ 2024-25.

Chandigarh topped the national rankings with a score of 739.1, followed by Punjab and Kerala, while Assam occupied the 12th spot with 593.6 points.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma while commenting on the achievement said that Assam is not just building infrastructure but ensuring that everyone has access to them. “In the PGI 2.0 Assam has leaped 15 places for ensuring quality education backed by razor sharp governance focused on prioritizing education for Viksit Assam,” Sarma said on his social media handle.