Noida & Ghaziabad among UP’s top 4 in national school education index, lag in child safety

The latest Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D) 2024-25 report by the Union education ministry has placed both Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad in the “Prachesta-1” category, among the top four districts — Varanasi, Kanpur, GB Nagar and Ghaziabad — highlighting moderate performance in school education indicators but also exposing gaps in learning outcomes, digital education and child safety.The PGI-D evaluates districts across the country on a 600-point scale using six broad parameters — learning outcomes, classroom transactions, infrastructure, school safety, digital learning and governance. Districts are then grouped into performance bands such as Daksh, Uttam, Prachesta and Akansha.While no district in UP achieved the top “Utkarsh” or “Uttam-1” grades this year, districts scoring between 51% and 60% of the total marks were placed in the Prachesta-1 category, where both Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad featured.Gautam Budh Nagar scored 304 out of 600, emerging as one of Uttar Pradesh’s top-performing districts after Varanasi (311) and Kanpur Nagar (309). Ghaziabad followed closely with 300 marks.The report shows contrasting strengths between the two NCR districts. Ghaziabad performed better in the crucial “Outcomes” category, scoring 144 out of 290 compared with Gautam Budh Nagar’s 138. This parameter carries the highest weightage and measures student learning levels, access to education and teacher-related indicators.However, Gautam Budh Nagar overtook Ghaziabad overall because of relatively stronger scores in governance processes, classroom transactions and infrastructure.In the “Effective Classroom Transactions” category — which evaluates teaching-learning processes, teacher attendance and classroom practices — Gautam Budh Nagar scored 50 out of 90, while Ghaziabad scored 45.Under “Infrastructure, Facilities and Student Entitlements,” which assesses school buildings, drinking water, toilets, electricity and benefits such as uniforms and textbooks, Gautam Budh Nagar scored 27 out of 51 against Ghaziabad’s 25.Both districts recorded identical scores of 24 out of 50 in “Digital Learning,” indicating that even urban districts with strong IT and industrial presence continue to face gaps in technology integration and digital access in govt schools.School safety and child protection also remained weak areas. Gautam Budh Nagar scored 16 out of 35, while Ghaziabad received 14. The category includes indicators related to safety infrastructure, grievance systems and child protection mechanisms in schools.In governance processes — which measure monitoring systems, administrative efficiency and implementation of schemes — Gautam Budh Nagar scored 50 out of 84 compared with Ghaziabad’s 48.Despite being among UP’s better-performing districts, both remain far behind national benchmarks. Districts such as Ernakulam in Kerala, Chandigarh and New Delhi scored above 425 marks and were placed in the higher “Uttam-2” category.The report also reflects the uneven educational landscape within Uttar Pradesh. While urban districts such as Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad and Kanpur Nagar remained at the top of the state rankings, districts including Bahraich, Shahjahanpur and Siddharthnagar scored below 245.Under the PGI-D grading system, the highest possible grade is Utkarsh, which is awarded to districts scoring more than 90% of the total marks in a category or in the overall assessment.The remaining grades are divided into intervals of 10 percentage points each. Districts scoring between 81% and 90% are placed in Uttam-1, while those scoring 71% to 80% fall under Uttam-2. A score of 61% to 70% is classified as Uttam-3.Similarly, districts scoring between 51% and 60% are graded Prachesta-1, 41% to 50% as Prachesta-2, and 31% to 40% as Prachesta-3.Ayantika.PalNoida: Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad have been placed among the state’s four best-performing districts in the Union education ministry’s Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D) 2024-25, though the report also flags persistent gaps in learning outcomes, digital education and child safety in both.The PGI-D ranks districts nationwide on a 600-point scale across six parameters — learning outcomes, classroom transactions, infrastructure, school safety, digital learning and governance — before placing them in performance bands ranging from Akanshi at the bottom to Utkarsh at the top.No district in UP achieved the top two grades this year. Varanasi led the state with 311 points, followed by Kanpur Nagar (309), Gautam Budh Nagar (304) and Ghaziabad (300). All four were placed in the Prachesta-1 band, awarded to districts scoring between 51% and 60% of total marks.Ghaziabad outscored Gautam Budh Nagar on learning outcomes — the index’s most heavily weighted parameter, which measures student learning levels, school access and teacher-related indicators — with 144 out of 290 against 138. Gautam Budh Nagar, however, pulled ahead overall on the strength of higher scores in governance, classroom transactions and infrastructure.In classroom transactions, which covers teaching quality, teacher attendance and classroom practices, Gautam Budh Nagar scored 50 out of 90 against Ghaziabad’s 45. On infrastructure, covering school buildings, drinking water, toilets, electricity and benefits such as uniforms and textbooks, Gautam Budh Nagar scored 27 out of 51 to Ghaziabad’s 25.Both districts scored identically on digital learning, at 24 out of 50, a result the report flags as a concern given that both lie in one of India’s most industrially and technologically developed urban corridors. Technology integration and digital access in govt schools remain weak even here.School safety and child protection — covering safety infrastructure, grievance mechanisms and child protection systems — was another shared weakness. Gautam Budh Nagar scored 16 out of 35; Ghaziabad scored 14. On governance, which measures administrative efficiency, monitoring systems and scheme implementation, Gautam Budh Nagar scored 50 out of 84 against Ghaziabad’s 48.Despite topping UP’s rankings, both districts remain well short of national leaders. Ernakulam in Kerala, Chandigarh and New Delhi each scored above 425, placing them in the higher Uttam-2 band. The gap underlines how far even UP’s best-performing urban districts trail the country’s front-runners on school education indicators. The report also lays bare the uneven educational landscape within the state. While Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Varanasi and Kanpur Nagar led UP’s rankings, districts such as Bahraich, Shahjahanpur and Siddharthnagar scored below 245.Under the PGI-D grading system, Utkarsh — the highest grade — is awarded to districts scoring above 90% of total marks. Below it, grades descend in 10-percentage-point bands: Uttam-1 (81-90%), Uttam-2 (71-80%), Uttam-3 (61-70%), Prachesta-1 (51-60%), Prachesta-2 (41-50%) and Prachesta-3 (31-40%). The lowest band, Akanshi, covers districts scoring 30% or below, divided into three sub-grades.