BHUBANESWAR: Odisha has climbed to 5th place in India’s School Education Grading for 2023–24, a remarkable leap from 24th position just a few years ago, thanks to the state’s flagship 5T initiative. The Performance Grading Index (PGI 2.0) released by the Government of India awarded Odisha a score of 595.6, securing the PRACHESTA-3 grade, up from 14th in 2019.
Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed his joy over the achievement, highlighting the transformation of nearly 7,000 schools under the 5T initiative, which focuses on Technology, Transparency, Teamwork, Time, and Transformation.
In a post on X, Patnaik said:
“Glad to share that Odisha has earned 5th rank nationally in School Grading System… Under our #5T initiative, we transformed about 7000 schools to unleash new aspirations and open new horizons for school students. We always believed that #NewOdisha will be built by empowering every child with the power of education.”
He thanked teachers, parents, administrators, and staff for their contribution to this transformation, noting that the robust foundation of government school education is now helping students excel.
Former private secretary and close aide of Patnaik, V.K. Pandian, also lauded the achievement in an Instagram post, calling it a milestone that seemed “impossible” when the 5T targets were set in 2019.
“The Performance Grading Index has placed Odisha at No. 5 among all the states in 2023-24, higher than Kerala. This achievement is stupendous, especially as Odisha was in the bottom category of states previously,” Pandian wrote.
He congratulated the entire team and stakeholders for their dedication in moving Odisha up the ranks, and thanked students, parents, local leaders, SMCs, and officials for making the transformative 5T target a reality.
The PGI 2.0 assesses school education across 73 indicators under two broad categories — Outcomes and Governance & Management — to encourage states to improve their performance.
