Himachal rises to 6th in PGI 2.0 school education ranking; cm Sukhvinder commends students, educators

Shimla: Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday congratulated the Himachal Pradesh education department, students and educators after the state secured the sixth position in the country in providing quality school education in the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 report recently released by the Union Ministry of Education.

According to the report, Himachal has jumped seven places from the 13th to 6th position, while among states, it has secured the third position. Himachal Pradesh Governor Kavinder Gupta too expressed happiness over the state's remarkable progress in the field of quality education at the national level.

Referring to the PGI 2.0 and PGI-D 2024-25 reports, he said Himachal Pradesh had secured sixth position in the country and third position among the states after showing significant improvement in field of education. His remarks came during a visit to a government primary school in Kangra district, where he interacted with students, teachers and education officials to assess education facilities in rural areas.

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Himachal PGI 2.0: Rural schools

Addressing a gathering, the governor said providing quality education to every child, regardless of geographical difficulties, should remain top priority of every government. He also stressed the importance of better classrooms, proper sanitation facilities, digital learning resources and a positive learning environment in government schools situated in rural areas.

In a statement issued here, the chief minister said Himachal Pradesh has been placed in the prestigious 'Prachesta-2' category, which is a matter of pride for the state.

Congratulating teachers, students and education department officials and staff, the chief minister said this achievement is the result of their collective efforts. The success has been made possible due to various reforms introduced by the Congress government in the education sector, with a focus on quality education, teacher training and expansion of school facilities, Sukhu said. The previous BJP government mainly focused on opening schools without adequate budget or staff, while the Congress government is focusing on quality education so that students studying in villages can also receive better academic opportunities, he said.

He said the state government wants to prepare the children for future challenges and ensure that they are confident and capable. The chief minister said soon after coming to power, the Congress government undertook several reforms to provide quality education to students.

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Himachal Education Reforms: English medium, CBSE schools

While English medium education has been started from Class 1 in all government schools of the state, school resources are being managed more efficiently and at least one Rajiv Gandhi Day-Boarding School is being opened in every assembly constituency to provide quality education closer to student's homes. He further said teachers are being sent abroad on exposure visits to study international education systems and implement better practices in schools across the state.

In addition, meritorious students have also been sent on educational tours abroad. Sukhu said the government is filling teaching posts on a priority basis so that studies of students are not affected due to shortage of teachers. He said 156 schools in the state are being affiliated with the CBSE curriculum, where classes in Arts, Science and Commerce streams have been made available.