Odisha jumps nine spots to 5th in national school education rankings 2023-24

Odisha has made a significant leap in the Union Ministry of Education’s Performance Grading Index 2.0 (PGI 2.0) for 2023-24, securing the fifth position among all states and Union Territories.

The state, which ranked 14th in 2019, earned a score of 595.6 out of 1,000 and was awarded the Prachesta-3 grade in the latest report.

Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik shared the achievement in a post on X, saying, "Glad to share that Odisha has earned 5th rank nationally in the School Grading System as per Performance Grading Index.”

“Report released by the Government of India. Odisha has achieved a score of 595.6 and secured PRACHESTA- 3 grade for the academic year 2023-24, up from 14th in 2019. The PGI 2.0 evaluates school education through 73 indicators across two categories: Outcomes and Governance & Management,” he added.

Odisha’s advancement placed it ahead of traditionally high-ranking states like Kerala, marking a significant milestone for the state’s education system.

Patnaik attributed this success to the state’s 5T initiative, which has led to modernization efforts across approximately 7,000 government schools, with upgrades in infrastructure and digital tools.

“We always believed that #NewOdisha will be built by empowering every child with the power of education,” he said.

He also expressed gratitude to the educators, parents, administrative teams, and support staff who contributed to this achievement.

“The foundation for government school education helps students excel,” Patnaik noted.

The PGI 2.0 assessment is based on 73 indicators grouped into six key domains: learning outcomes, access, equity, infrastructure and facilities, teacher training, and governance processes.

States and Union Territories are graded from ‘Daksh’ (highest) to ‘Akanshi-3’ (lowest). Odisha’s score placed it in the Prachesta-3 bracket, which includes those scoring between 581 and 640 points.

In the access domain—which evaluates enrollment, retention, and grade transition, Odisha showed a clear improvement, rising from 59.2 in 2022-23 to 65.6 in 2023-24.

The state now ranks among the top three in this category, along with Bihar and Telangana.

However, challenges persist in digital education. Only a handful of districts, Jharsuguda, Khurda, Sambalpur, and Sonepur, scored above 20 out of 50 in digital learning.

Most other districts continue to lag, signaling an urgent need for improved digital literacy and infrastructure.

At the district level, Jharsuguda emerged as the best performer, earning an Uttam-3 grade thanks to strong scores in classroom quality, learning outcomes, and digital education.

On the other end, Rayagada was identified as the lowest-performing district, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.

Odisha joins nine other states and Union Territories, Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Kerala, Haryana, Goa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, in the Prachesta-3 category. Chandigarh was the only region to achieve the highest Prachesta-1 grade.

The state's upward trajectory in national rankings reflects the impact of sustained reforms focused on school transformation, access, and quality learning.

Experts suggest that continued focus on teacher training, digital integration, governance, and resource equity will be critical for Odisha to maintain and build upon this progress, in alignment with the National Education Policy 2020 and Sustainable Development Goal 4.