As lakhs of Class 12 students across the country are waiting eagerly for the release of CBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2021, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Sunday took a major decision as he approved the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20 for States and Union Territories. It is to be noted that PGI was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre with a set of 70 parameters to bring all-round change in prevailing education system in Indian schools.
It may be recalled that the PGI for States and Union Territories was first published in 2019 with reference to the year 2017-18.
As per a statement released by Union Education Ministry, the PGI exercise 'envisages that the index would propel States and UTs towards undertaking multi-pronged interventions that will bring about the much-desired optimal education outcomes'.
"The PGI helps the States/UTs to pinpoint the gaps and accordingly prioritise areas for intervention to ensure that the school education system is robust at every level," added the statement.
Punjab, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Kerala got the highest grade (Grade A++) for 2019-20, while Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have improved overall PGI score by 10 per cent.
"Nineteen States and UTs have shown improvement by 10% (36 points) or more in the PGI domain: Governance Process. Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal have shown improvement by at least 20 per cent (72 points or more)," it said.
Meanwhile, a 12-member committee was constituted by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Friday to decide well-defined objective criteria for the evaluation of lakhs of Class 12 students. Notably, CBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2021 was cancelled by PM Modi on June 1 due to coronavirus pandemic.
The committee will be made up of Joint Secretary Education, Vipin Kumar, Commissioners of the Kendriya and Navodaya Vidyalayas, and representatives from the CBSE, and UGC among others. The committee has been asked to submit its report in 10 days.
