Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20

In News

The Union Education Minister approved the release of the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20 for States and Union Territories of India.

About

• The Government has introduced the PGI with a set of 70 parameters to catalyse transformational change in the field of school education.
• It was first published for States and Union Territories 2019 with reference year 2017-18.
• PGI is released by the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education.
• The PGI is structured in two categories:
  • Learning Outcomes and 
  • Governance & Management 
• Domains under categories include: 

1. Access, 
2. Infrastructure & Facilities, 
3. Equity, 
4. Governance process.

Facts

• The total weightage under the PGI is 1000 points with each of the 70 indicators having an assigned weightage of either 10 or 20 points. 
• A++ category states (Highest Grade):
  •  Punjab, 
  • Chandigarh, 
  • Tamil Nadu, 
  • Andaman & Nicobar Islands and 
  • Kerala
• Most of the States/UTs have improved their grade in PGI 2019-20 compared to the earlier years.
• States and UTs whose overall PGI score improved by 10%, i.e., 100 or more points: 
  • Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 
  • Arunachal Pradesh, 
  • Manipur, 
  • Puducherry, 
  • Punjab and 
  • Tamil Nadu 
• States and UTs who have shown improvement by 10% (8 points) or more in the PGI domain: Access.
  • Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 
  • Lakshadweep and 
  • Punjab 
• As many as thirteen States and UTs have shown improvement by 10% (15 points) or more in the PGI domain: Infrastructure and Facilities. Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Odisha have shown improvement by 20% or more. 
• States who have shown more than 10% improvement in the PGI domain: Equity.
  • Arunachal Pradesh, 
  • Manipur and 
  • Odisha
• Nineteen States and UTs have shown improvement by 10% (36 points) or more in the PGI domain: Governance Process. Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal have shown improvement by at least 20% (72 points or more).
• It has been prepared with the same set of 70 parameters used for the two previous PGIs. The updating of these data and vetting of the same have been carried out by:
  • State/UT level using the online portals of Shagun, 
  • Unified District Education System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 
  • Mid-Day Meal website
  • scores from National Achievement Survey (NAS) conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). 
  • Public Financial Management System (PFMS)

These portals have been created and maintained by the DoSEL, MoE.

• The main source of data, that is the UDISE+, is updated on an annual basis through the MIS coordinators at different levels of State Government and a three stage verification by the block, district and State level officers of the Education Departments of concerned States/UTs.

(Image Courtesy: PGI Report 2019-2020)

Significance

• It is envisaged that the index would propel States and UTs towards undertaking multi-pronged interventions that will bring about the much-desired optimal education outcomes. 
• It will also help the States/UTs to pinpoint the gaps and accordingly prioritise areas for intervention to ensure that the school education system is robust at every level.
• When implemented with the Right to Education (RTE) Act, it will help in bringing better Quality of education with enhanced Accessibility from the latter.
• This exercise is expected to act as a good source of information for best practices followed by States and UTs which can be shared.
• The PGI evaluation provides a grade to the States and UTs, as opposed to ranking. Grading, by allowing several States and UTs to be considered at the same level, eliminates the phenomenon of one improving only at the cost of others, thereby casting a stigma of underperformance on the latter. 
• Question wise scores of each State/UT has been shared so that Best Practices of higher Scoring states can be followed by other lower scoring states. 
• It will help in achieving SDG 4 targets of Quality Education.
• Data is collected from all levels which will increase the accuracy of the database and will help in creating optimised solutions.

Issues 

• Population sometimes may be construed as a hindrance to development as it tends to increase the financial outlays for interventions by the Government.
• A State/UT that has already come near the highest possible score would have less scope of showing large improvements in score.

Conclusion

• The PGI scores and grades achieved by the States and UTs in 2019-20 bear testimony to the efficacy of the PGI system. Many States and UTs have made substantial improvements in many of the outcome parameters, along with measurable improvements in their governance and management-related parameters.
• The system strives to maintain standards and uniformity across the country while giving ample scope for the country’s diverse culture and heritage to grow and flourish. Indexes like these will help to notice the gaps and bridge them with modern solutions.
• The framework of a real time data availability system (namely, UDISE+, Shagun, etc.) and an objective and holistic performance evaluation framework provided through the PGI would provide the right combination for effective implementation of policy in the School Education sector. 
• A performance-based grant would provide the required incentive to the States and UTs to ensure their continuous and focused attention to this sector, which is crucial for overall growth and development of the country.

Sources: PIB+IE