Meghalaya jumps two PGI grades in 2025-26, exits lowest education band
Synopsis
Meghalaya has exited the lowest tier of the Centre's school education index for the first time ever, jumping two full grades in a single cycle. With its PGI 2.0 score climbing from 448 to 525.7, the state's four-year cumulative gain of 124-plus points signals that a sustained reform push — from teacher pay restructuring to foundational literacy drives — is beginning to show measurable results.
Key Takeaways
Meghalaya moved from Akanshi-3 to Akanshi-1 in the Centre's PGI 2.0 framework for 2025-26 — two grades in a single cycle.
The state's PGI score rose from 448 in 2024-25 to 525.7 in 2025-26.
This is the first time Meghalaya has exited the lowest PGI performance band since the index was introduced.
The cumulative score gain over four assessment cycles (2022-23 to 2025-26) exceeds 124 points .
Key reforms include the Structured Pay Framework for teachers, the CM's IMPACT programme , Samagra Shiksha infrastructure upgrades, and the Meghalaya Teacher Training Academy .
Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui described the milestone as a waypoint, pledging continued focus on learning outcomes and governance.
Meghalaya has climbed two grades in the Union government's Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 for 2025-26, moving out of the lowest performance band for the first time since the index was introduced, state Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui announced on Wednesday, 8 July. The state's overall PGI score rose from 448 in 2024-25 to 525.7 in 2025-26, propelling it from the Akanshi-3 category to Akanshi-1 in a single assessment cycle.
A Historic First for Meghalaya
According to Minister Rymbui, this is the first time Meghalaya has exited the Akanshi-3 band — the lowest performance tier under the PGI framework — since the Centre introduced the index. The jump of two full grades within one cycle is being viewed as an unusually sharp upward move for a northeastern state that has historically struggled with school education metrics.
The improvement is also part of a consistent upward trajectory over four consecutive assessment cycles. The state's PGI score has risen from 401.62 in 2022-23, to 417.90 in 2023-24, to 448 in 2024-25, and now to 525.7 in 2025-26 — a cumulative gain of more than 124 points over four years.
Key Reforms Behind the Improvement
Rymbui attributed the gains to a cluster of structural reforms rolled out over the past few years. These include the introduction of the Structured Pay Framework (SPF) for teachers, rationalisation of schools, and the implementation of the Chief Minister's IMPACT programme. Infrastructure upgrades under the Samagra Shiksha scheme and an Asian Development Bank-supported education project have also contributed to the score.
On the governance and capacity side, the state has invested in digital education administration and strengthened teacher training through the Meghalaya Teacher Training Academy. Targeted interventions in foundational literacy and numeracy have been a specific focus area, the minister said.
What the Score Reflects
The PGI 2.0 framework, administered by the Centre, grades states across domains including learning outcomes, access, infrastructure, governance, and teacher effectiveness. A move from Akanshi-3 to Akanshi-1 signals measurable progress across multiple parameters simultaneously — not just a single metric improvement.
Rymbui credited the achievement to a collective effort involving teachers, education officials, school management committees, and other stakeholders across the state. He described the milestone as significant but cautioned that the government views it as a waypoint rather than a destination.
What the Government Has Pledged Next
The Education Minister reaffirmed the state government's commitment to further improving learning outcomes, strengthening governance structures, enhancing teacher capacity, and ensuring access to quality education for every child in Meghalaya. No specific new programmes were announced alongside the PGI disclosure, but officials indicated that ongoing reform initiatives will be deepened in the coming academic year.
Point of View
But the more telling detail is the four-year trajectory — Meghalaya has added over 124 points since 2022-23, suggesting the reforms are compounding rather than spiking. The real test will be whether the Akanshi-1 classification translates into verifiable learning outcome gains, not just process and governance improvements that PGI rewards heavily. Northeast states have historically faced structural disadvantages in education indices — remoteness, teacher absenteeism, and infrastructure gaps — and a score jump alone does not confirm those are resolved. The Centre's PGI framework has also faced criticism for over-indexing on inputs over outcomes. Meghalaya's next challenge is sustaining momentum when the low-hanging reform fruit has already been picked.
NationPress
9 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0?
The Performance Grading Index 2.0 is a framework introduced by the Union government to evaluate and grade states on school education performance across parameters including learning outcomes, access, infrastructure, governance, and teacher effectiveness. States are assigned to performance bands, with Akanshi-3 being the lowest and higher bands reflecting better outcomes.
How much did Meghalaya's PGI score improve in 2025-26?
Meghalaya's PGI 2.0 score rose from 448 in 2024-25 to 525.7 in 2025-26, a gain of 77.7 points in a single cycle. Over four assessment cycles from 2022-23 to 2025-26, the cumulative improvement exceeds 124 points.
Why is Meghalaya's PGI jump significant?
It is the first time Meghalaya has exited the Akanshi-3 band — the lowest performance tier — since the PGI framework was introduced. A two-grade improvement in a single assessment cycle is also an unusually sharp upward move for the state.
What reforms drove Meghalaya's improvement in the education index?
Key reforms include the Structured Pay Framework for teachers, school rationalisation, the Chief Minister's IMPACT programme, infrastructure development under Samagra Shiksha, an Asian Development Bank-supported education project, and strengthened teacher training through the Meghalaya Teacher Training Academy.
What has the Meghalaya government said about next steps?
Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui described the PGI improvement as a milestone rather than a final destination. The state government has pledged to continue improving learning outcomes, governance, teacher capacity, and access to quality education for all children in Meghalaya.
