M’laya ranked worst in India for school edn

THE DATA CRUNCH SYSTEM IN COLLAPSE

From CK Nayak

NEW DELHI, May 24: Despite a massive workforce of over 55,000 teachers, Meghalaya has officially hit rock bottom in India’s school education rankings, trapped in a “Grade 10” basement where 206 schools have plenty of desks but zero students.

The Union Ministry of Education’s Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 has placed Meghalaya as the lowest-performing state in the country. Scoring just 417.9 points out of a possible 1,000, Meghalaya is the only state in India relegated to the 10th and lowest grade. While the state’s score saw a marginal increase from 401.6 in 2022-23, the slight uptick was insufficient to move it out of the bottom tier.

The PGI 2.0 report assessed 36 states and union territories across six foundational domains: Learning Outcomes & Quality, Access, Infrastructure & Facilities, Equity, Governance Processes, and Teacher Education & Training.

Meghalaya’s performance was dismal across all categories, trailing behind other low-ranking states including Arunachal Pradesh (461.4), Mizoram (464.2), Nagaland (468.6), and Bihar (471.9).

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma recently acknowledged these systemic failures, using official statistics to highlight the crisis. Despite the state maintaining 14,582 schools and a payroll of 55,160 teachers, approximately 22,000 students drop out every year.

The “educational hub” faces a startling paradox: while 206 schools have no students at all, another 2,269 schools are operating with single-digit enrolment.

The federal report identified severe gaps in physical infrastructure, clean sanitation, and digital access. It also flagged a critical shortage of certified teaching professionals and a lack of regular training modules.

Student achievement in foundational subjects continues to face significant gaps, with rural administrative blocks suffering the most compared to urban centres.

National Rank: 36th out of 36 (Lowest in India)

Grade: 10 (Only state in this category)

Annual Dropouts: 22,000 students

Zero Enrolment: 206 schools

Single-digit Enrolment: 2,269 schools

Total Teachers: 55,160

Total Schools: 14,582