MP Districts Fail to Cross 60% Mark in Education Report

Madhya Pradesh's school education system is lagging behind, with none of its 55 districts crossing the 60% performance mark in the latest Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D) 2025-26. The report, released by the Union Ministry of Education, places 45 districts in the 'Prachesta-2' category, six in 'Prachesta-1', and four in the lowest 'Prachesta-3' category.

Sidhi emerged as the best-performing district in MP, scoring 333 out of 600 points (55.5%) and securing 'Prachesta-1'. It was followed by Ujjain with 323 points, Shajapur with 318, Damoh with 312, Narsimhapur with 307, and Sagar with 301. However, even the state's best-performing district failed to cross the 60% mark, highlighting the gap between Madhya Pradesh and higher-performing districts nationally.

The tribal district of Jhabua recorded the lowest score at 226 points (37.7%), followed by Alirajpur with 228, Khargone with 229, and Barwani with 231. All four were placed in 'Prachesta-3'. The state's major cities, including Bhopal and Indore, also failed to make it to the higher grades. Bhopal scored 285 points, while Indore scored 284. Jabalpur recorded 267 points, and Gwalior scored 277.

The category-wise figures cited from the report show concerns beyond the overall score. In Indore, infrastructure and basic facilities were assessed at around 41%, while learning outcomes stood at around 47%. In Bhopal, learning outcomes were around 47%, while the school safety indicator was around 37%. Digital learning was a major concern, with Barwani's digital learning score at only 16%, while its learning outcome stood at 36% and school safety at 26%.

The Congress state chief, Jitu Patwari, has written to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, questioning the state government over the condition of school education. He cited the report's figures to argue that the problems extend from major cities to tribal districts, covering basic infrastructure, learning outcomes, school safety, and digital learning.

The PGI-D classifies districts into different performance grades, with 'Utkarsh' and 'Uttam' being the higher grades, and 'Prachesta' representing districts that are progressing but still have substantial ground to cover in achieving quality standards.

The report highlights the need for improvement in Madhya Pradesh's school education system, with a focus on digital learning, infrastructure, and school safety. The state government will need to address these concerns to improve the overall performance of its districts.

In conclusion, the Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D) 2025-26 report shows that Madhya Pradesh's school education system has a long way to go in terms of achieving quality standards. The state's districts will need to work towards improving their infrastructure, learning outcomes, and digital learning to catch up with the higher-performing districts nationally.

The report's findings are a wake-up call for the state government to take immediate action to address the concerns raised. The Congress state chief's letter to the Chief Minister is a step in the right direction, and it remains to be seen how the state government will respond to the report's findings.

Overall, the report highlights the importance of improving the school education system in Madhya Pradesh, and the need for the state government to take concrete steps to address the concerns raised.