The National Institution for Transforming India, also known as NITI Aayog, has unveiled the first edition of a ground-breaking initiative: the School Education Quality Index (SEQI). This novel index promises to revolutionize the way we approach the evaluation of the Indian school education system. Its development involved the crucial participation of key industry stakeholders, including the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), the World Bank, as well as sector experts.
Understanding the Composition of SEQI
SEQI employs an array of 30 critical indicators that collectively measure the overall effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of the Indian school education system. It aims to trigger policy reforms geared towards improving school education quality. SEQI envisions fostering a focus on enhancing education outcomes by driving improvements in access, learning levels, equity, infrastructure, and governance processes.
The Ranking Process
In order to enable straightforward comparisons, States and Union Territories have been classified into three distinct categories: Large States, Small States, and Union Territories. The individual indicator values for each category have been scaled, normalized, and weighted to generate an aggregate performance score. This score forms the basis of the ranking, which was based on performances in the reference year 2016-17 and improvement between the reference year and the preceding base year (2015-16).
Performance of States and Union Territories
Out of the 20 large states, Kerala came out as the top performer while Uttar Pradesh found itself at the bottom. However, significant improvements were observed in Haryana, Assam, and Uttar Pradesh in comparison to the base year. For small states, Manipur led the list, and among Union Territories, Chandigarh performed the best. All seven Union Territories exhibited progress in their performance.
Facts Table
| Ranking Categories | Best Performer | Most Improved |
|---|---|---|
| Large States | Kerala | Uttar Pradesh |
| Small States | Manipur | N/A |
| Union Territories | Chandigarh | All UTs |
How the Index will benefit States and Union Territories?
The SEQI recognises the crucial role state leadership plays in cost-effectively improving education outcomes due to school education being on the Concurrent List. The index provides an ongoing, transparent review of the quality status of school education across states and union territories. It encourages them to enhance their scores by showing progress across the different aspects.
Implications of SEQI in line with the mandate of NITI Aayog
In alignment with NITI Aayog’s mandate to foster a spirit of competitive and cooperative federalism, the SEQI aids in sharing knowledge and best practices across different states and union territories. It is also one of the significant moves towards fulfilling its role as a ‘Think Tank’ for the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs.
About NITI Aayog
NITI Aayog was established on 1st January 2015 as a replacement to the Planning Commission, constituted in 1950. It serves as the primary policy ‘Think Tank’ for the Government of India, providing both strategic and long-term policies and programmes for the Indian government. Additionally, NITI Aayog offers relevant technical advice to the Centre and States. The Prime Minister chairs its Governing Council, comprising all states’ Chief Ministers and Union Territories’ Lt. Governors.