SHILLONG, JUL 8: Meghalaya has made its biggest leap in the Performance Grading Index, climbing directly from Akanshi III to Akanshi I in the 2025-2026 rankings released by the Ministry of Education.
Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Wednesday called it a landmark achievement, saying no state had ever moved up two grades in one year since PGI began.
“I am very glad to inform you that in the latest PGI ranking, education in Meghalaya has moved from Akanshi III to Akanshi I,” Rymbui said.
He noted that in 2024-2025 Meghalaya was the only state in Akanshi III and had long faced criticism for ranking at the bottom.The state’s score has risen steadily from 401.62 in 2022-23 to 525.71 in 2025-26.
With a four-year increase of 124.09 points, or 31 percent, Meghalaya is now the fastest-improving state under the PGI framework.
It joins 13 other states in Akanshi I, including Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.
Rymbui credited the progress to sustained reforms since 2018 under Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
Key measures include a Structured Pay Framework for teachers, establishment of the Meghalaya Teachers Training Academy, rationalization of schools from 14,641 to 11,443, and infrastructure upgrades through Mission Education, Samagra Shiksha and ADB funding.
The budget was also raised from Rs 650 crore to Rs 840 crore, with a target of Rs 2000 crore for further upgrades.
The government said CM IMPACT helped push the secondary pass percentage above 90 percent, compared to 54-55 percent earlier. Supplementary exams and re-entry for dropouts were also introduced.
Other initiatives include ‘She Thrive’ for girl students launched on July 2, expansion of digital governance, and the nationally recognized Community Skill Learning programme approved in January 2025.Domain-wise, the sharpest gains were in Governance Processes, which more than doubled to 85.6, and Infrastructure and Facilities, which rose to 77.8.
Equity remained the strongest area at 208.5, while Learning Outcomes improved to 47.2.“Have we done it all? No. This is work in progress,” Rymbui said.
“Education is dynamic. I urge all stakeholders to keep working together. We will keep progressing.”
The department said learning outcomes and governance remain focus areas going ahead, and thanked teachers, parents, SMCs, officers and all stakeholders for the milestone.
