Parliament Question: Performance Grading Index

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 220 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025 Performance Grading Index *220. MD. RAKIBUL HUSSAIN:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware that Assam was placed in the second-lowest category of the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 conducted in FY 2024-25;

(b) the details of the key factors that contributed to Assam's poor performance;

(c) whether the Government has taken cognizance of the severe shortage of school teachers in Assam and its impact on learning outcomes and retention; and

(d) if so, the steps taken by the Government to address these structural gaps and improve performance of Assam in future PGI assessments? ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the table of the House.STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (D) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 220 ANSWERED ON 04/08/2025 ASKED BY HONB’LE MP MD. RAKIBUL HUSSAIN REGARDING ‘PERFORMANCE GRADING INDEX’.

(a) & (b): The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education has prepared 73-indicator based Performance Grading Index 2.0 for States/UTs to measure key driving performance and critical areas of school education at State/UT level. The domain-wise performance of the States/UTs including Assam in PGI 2.0 combined report for the year 2022- 23 & 2023-24 can be accessed at https://spgi.udiseplus.gov.in.

Further, Assam has attained Akanshi-2 grade in PGI 2.0 for the year 2023–24. It is noteworthy that the State’s overall score improved from 498.8 in 2022–23 to 511.5 in 2023–24, reflecting consistent progress and growth across key domains.

(c) & (d): As per Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) Norms for Primary and upper primary level are 30:1 and 35:1 respectively. Also, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, in para 2.4, inter alia states that “A pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) of under 30:1 will be ensured at the level of each school; areas having large number of socio-economically disadvantaged students will aim for a PTR of under 25:1.” The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education has developed the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) system to record data on indicators of school education provided by all the States and Union Territories.

As per UDISE+ 2023-24, PTR by level of education in the state of Assam is as under:

State Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) by level of education Primary Upper Primary Secondary Higher Secondary Assam 19 13 11 18 The Department of School Education and Literacy with effect from 2018-19 is implementing an Integrated Centrally Sponsored Scheme for School Education- Samagra Shiksha. Under the scheme, financial assistance is provided to States and UTs for undertaking various activities, including opening/strengthening of new schools upto senior secondary level, construction of school buildings & additional classrooms, setting up, up-gradation and running of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, setting up of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalayas, Construction of hostels under PM-JANMAN, construction of hostels under Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan for unsaturated ST population, free uniforms, free text books, transport allowance and undertaking enrolment & retention drives.

Under ‘Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman’ (PM POSHAN) one hot cooked meal in Government and Government aided schools is provided to students at the elementary level of education, including Balvatika.

Also, under PM SHRI scheme, 382 PM SHRI schools from the State of Assam have been selected for upgradation to showcase all the components of the National Education Policy

2020. These schools focus on cognitive development and creating holistic and well- rounded individuals equipped with key 21st century skills. The scheme focuses on creating an equitable, inclusive, and joyful learning environment that caters to diverse backgrounds, multilingual needs, and varied academic abilities. These schools are designed to engage students actively in their learning process, ensuring that every child feels welcomed, cared for, and supported in a safe and stimulating environment.Further, State Government of Assam has taken up various initiatives and focused interventions to address systemic gaps and further strengthen State’s educational performance. Some of the major initiatives include the following-  Under a structured NEP 2020-aligned initiative, trainings have been imparted to more than 1.35 lakh teachers in the year 2024-25, including 1.29 lakh teachers, who were trained, particularly on FLN, pedagogy, phonics, calligraphy and TLM use. Similarly, subject-specific training was imparted to secondary teachers also, in collaboration with institutions like IIT Guwahati, Gauhati University, Tezpur University, and NIT Silchar-marking one of the state's largest teacher development efforts.

 Assam has operationalised ‘Shiksha Setu Axom', a state-of-the-art digital platform for real-time education governance. It enables automated tracking of key school-level indicators, including student and teacher attendance, infrastructure status etc.

 To close learning gaps in Grades 3-5, Assam is implementing 'Teaching at Right Level (TaRL)' initiative, shifting from grade-based to learning-level-based teaching.  Assam adopted a multi-tiered FLN strategy with SPMU and DPMUs for local implementation.

Aligned with NCF-FS, textbooks and workbooks were developed, and students received 16 numeracy TLMs. Schools got 12 additional TLMs and literacy kits with big books, charts, flashcards, and activity books to strengthen instruction.

 Govt. of Assam has expanded digital learning through ICT Labs, Smart Classes, and Tele- Education facilities in government schools. E-content for Classes I-XII across Smart Class- enabled schools have been developed and disseminated. Through a partnership with 'Mission Gyan' and the 'e-Kaksha App', content is made accessible at school levels. Live 2D/3D tele- classes in regional languages are broadcast to schools through Tele-Classroom infrastructure.

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