Guwahati, Jun 23: In the latest evaluation of school education, Assam has been placed in the second lowest category, sharing this position with nine other states, including five from the Northeast region.

Meghalaya stands out as the only state in the lowest grade, achieving a Performance Grading Index (PGI) score between 401-460, as per the recently released Performance Grading Index 2.0 by the Union Education Ministry.

Chandigarh topped the rankings with a PGI score ranging from 701-760, while Assam's score fell between 461-520, positioning it tenth from the bottom among the 36 states and Union territories evaluated.

In the 'Access' category, which assesses student enrollment, retention, transitions to the next grade, and the integration of out-of-school children, Assam's score declined from 50.2 in 2022-23 to 46.0 in 2023-24, placing it third from the bottom, just above Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.

Conversely, in the infrastructure category, Assam improved its score by seven points compared to the last assessment, performing slightly better than other northeastern states as well as Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana.

Regarding 'teacher education and training', Assam scored 52.1, just above Meghalaya, which scored 46.8.

The PGI was created to provide a data-driven assessment framework for school education. This comprehensive evaluation aids states and Union territories in pinpointing necessary interventions to drive significant improvements in school education, aligning with the National Education Policy and Sustainable Development Goals.

The PGI framework encompasses a total of 1,000 points across 73 indicators, categorized into two main areas: Outcome and Governance & Management. These are further divided into six domains: Learning Outcomes, Access, Infrastructure & Facilities, Equity, Governance Processes, and Teacher Education & Training.