An Evaluation of Efficiency for Schools in Punjab Utilizing the DEA Technique

The current work employs Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a linear programming-centered methodology, to evaluate technical efficiency and efficiency disparities across 1,409 schools across 22 districts in the Indian state of Punjab. To evaluate the efficiency of schools across various districts, nine inputs and outputs are utilized. The five input variables include the percentage of educational facilities, percentage of availability of physical facilities, student-teacher ratio, parental participation index, and teacher qualification index. The four output variables consist of the mean scores in language, science, mathematics, and social science. Charnes, Cooper, Rhodes (CCR) and Banker, Charnes, Cooper (BCC) models of DEA have been utilized to assess the efficiency scores of different districts of Punjab state. The study concludes that the average technical efficiency of schools in the state is just 97.98 % suggesting significant potential for development. The analysis also offers guidance to decision-makers in terms of school planning.