BHOPAL: The latest Performance Grading Index (PGI) done by the union Ministry of Education has placed the school education system of Madhya Pradesh along with Bihar.
The PGI evaluates the school education of states and Union territories (UT) on about 70 parameters and allots numbers for each indicator. Total score is calculated from 1000 marks that are placed in level 1 and given grade A++.
Five states/UT have topped including Kerala, Chandigarh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Andaman and Nicobar islands. Their score was between 901 and 950 and were allotted grade A++.
Madhya Pradesh was placed in level six and given grade three. Other states to fall in the same category are Bihar, Assam and Mizoram. Only four states are below this mark.
Performance matrix (based on 5 parameters) and score of MP:
Learning outcomes and quality 140/180
Access 68/80
Infrastructure and facilities 109/150
Equity 217/230
Governance process 214/360
Learning outcomes and quality 140/180
The indicators in this domain mainly deal with the scores of students in Language and Mathematics in standard 3, 5 and 8 of government and aided schools.
Learning outcomes are measured on nine parameters. Under this category, state got 20/20 in average language score in Class 3 and 18 in average mathematics score but for class 5 it decreased to 16/20 for language and 14 for mathematics.
It further dropped for Class 8 where average score for language stood at 16/20 and 12/20 for mathematics. It received same score in science and social science in Class 8.
Access 68/80
The indicators in this domain relate to Net Enrolment Ratio at elementary and secondary level, Retention rate at primary, elementary and secondary level and Transition rate from primary to upper-primary level and from upper-primary to secondary level. Mainstreaming of out of school children is also included in this domain.
It has received full scores on four indicators out of total eight.
Infrastructure and facilities 109/150
This head has 11 indicators related to infrastructure in schools to enable adequate facilities for teaching and learning like computers, science lab, library, vocational courses, midday meals, drinking water, uniforms and textbooks.
MP fares too poor in Computer Aided Learning in upper primary level schools and scored 2/20 points. Percentage of secondary schools having Computer Lab scored 1/10.
Equity 217/230
This category judges the schools on 34 parameters comparing equity distribution among students from various categories (SC/ST with general), rural and urban and gender wise (boys and girls). It also evaluates facilities in schools for Children With Special Needs (CWSN). All these are judged at three levels in class 3, 5 and then in class 8.
Governance Process 214/360
This domain deals with indicators relating to management and administration of school education. The fact that this domain has maximum weightage for the PGI underscores its importance in determining the performance of school education system in States and UTs.
As many as 32 factors related with government are evaluated under this category. This include things like numbers of single teacher primary schools, implementation of RTE norms, numbers of teachers per students, field visits of school officials, evaluation of teachers, numbers of new teachers recruited etc.
