Chandigarh, June 19: Chandigarh has secured the top spot in the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2023-24, marking a hat-trick of victories by emerging as the best-performing region in school education among all states and Union Territories for the third consecutive year.
The Union Ministry of Education awarded Chandigarh the top rank in its PGI 2.0 report, which evaluated school education performance across 73 indicators in six domains. Chandigarh earned 703 points, placing it in the Prachesta-1 category, which reflects high governance and infrastructure standards.
Education Secretary Prerna Puri said the PGI results had helped Chandigarh make “transformational changes” in school education through targeted interventions aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. She credited inter-departmental coordination, data-driven policy alignment, and teacher training for the UT’s consistent success.
Governor-cum-Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria praised the city’s teachers, noting their role in improving classroom practices, embracing modern pedagogy, and fostering holistic student development.
Key Interventions That Powered Chandigarh’s Rise:
- Vocational courses expanded from 38 (in 2021-22) to 47 schools in 2023-24.
- Social audits under the PM Poshan Scheme launched in 20 schools.
- Sanitary pad vending machines and incinerators installed in all remaining 13 government schools.
- Free textbooks provided before academic year start to all elementary students.
- 450 Anganwadis co-located with government schools.
- Assistive devices and tech-based solutions ensured for all children with special needs.
- Kitchen gardens set up in every government school.
- 98% Aadhaar seeding of student data on the UDISE+ system.
- Digital attendance tracking implemented across all government schools.
- Over 90% mainstreaming achieved for out-of-school children over two years.
- Cyber safety orientation and teacher training on pedagogy conducted regularly.
What Lies Ahead:
Chandigarh now aims to strengthen learning outcomes and equity domains in future PGI assessments. The Parakh Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, conducted on December 4 for Classes III, VI, and IX, is set to release its results on July 2.
To meet Right to Education (RTE) norms, the UT is finalising recruitment of 396 JBTs and 303 TGTs, ensuring an optimal Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) at both primary and upper primary levels in government schools.
Officials called this a “proud moment” for Chandigarh and pledged to continue the momentum by introducing further reforms to maintain its lead in national education performance.
