By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: Meghalaya has secured the lowest position in the country in the latest national assessment of school education conducted by the Union Ministry of Education.
The state received 417.9 out of 1,000 in the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0, making it the only state to remain in the lowest grading category among all states and union territories covered in the report.
Though its score improved slightly from 401.6 recorded in 2022-23, the increase was not enough to lift Meghalaya from the bottom rank.
The index evaluated 36 states and union territories on several parameters related to school education, including academic performance, infrastructure, access to education, governance systems, equity, and teacher training.
In the overall rankings, Meghalaya remained behind states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Bihar.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had recently spoken about the difficulties affecting the education sector, referring to official figures that reflected deep structural concerns despite the state having 14,582 schools and 55,160 teachers.
Statistics shared by the government show that nearly 22,000 students leave school every year across Meghalaya.
The report also highlighted uneven enrolment patterns in the state, noting that 206 schools currently have no students, while 2,269 schools are functioning with enrolment in single digits.
Several shortcomings related to school infrastructure were identified, including inadequate sanitation facilities and poor digital connectivity.
The assessment further pointed to a shortage of trained teaching staff and insufficient professional training support.
The findings additionally showed that students in rural parts of the state continue to perform worse in foundational subjects compared to those studying in urban areas.