SHILLONG, JUN 9: Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Tuesday expressed confidence that Meghalaya’s rank in the Performance Grading Index (PGI) will improve “drastically” in the 2026-2027 cycle, citing eight years of reforms in quality education, teacher welfare, and accessibility.

Rymbui said the discussion should go beyond numbers to actual reforms on the ground.

“See, I feel that this issue is very good to discuss, not only to discuss. Moreover, what we have to see is whether the government has done anything or not. That is the main point. Now, has the government addressed this thing? The reply is yes, yes, because successively, year after year, there is always the improvement of the scores,” he said.

The minister said the government’s focus has been on systemic change rather than just improving the PGI score.

“I am very sure that in the next PGI score 2026-2027, our rank will improve drastically, because what we have done in the last eight years is unprecedented. Not just to address the PGI, but to address quality education, to address the welfare of the students, to address the welfare of the teachers, to address accessibility, to address everything,” Rymbui stated.

He urged the Education Department to maintain consistent efforts and said the core goal remains better learning outcomes for students.

“So, we have to work hard. And work not only today, but we have to work hard every day. We in the Education Department are working hard, whether officers, teachers, or administrators, we have to work hard. Because we don’t look at PGI as a score, but look at schools and how to improve the education system, because our core issue is to give quality education to our students,” Rymbui added.