The BRICS countries defined five main directions of joint work during the group’s 13th Education Ministers’ Meeting, held on August 7 in Bhubaneswar, India. At the end of the meeting, a declaration was adopted that reflects the common priorities of member countries, reports the Indian Press Information Office.
According to the Indian Minister of Education, Pralhad Joshi, preparing new generations for the challenges of the future must be based on humanistic values, such as respect, cooperation, equality and responsibility. At the center of educational policy and international cooperation must be students, teachers, researchers and young people.
One of the main priorities is early childhood education and the development of basic skills in this age group. Countries intend to expand access to quality pre-school education, improve children’s preparation for school and use digital technologies in children’s learning.
The second direction is professional and technical education. The BRICS countries plan to intensify cooperation in training specialists. India has also proposed carrying out an international study to identify which skills are lacking among professionals. The other BRICS countries will be able to voluntarily participate in this research.
The third priority is science, innovation and startups. Participants agreed to develop joint research, strengthen links between universities and researchers, as well as support entrepreneurship. Special attention will be devoted to artificial intelligence: countries have advocated for its safe, ethical and human-centered use in education.
The fourth direction is mutual recognition of educational qualifications. The countries will continue work on an agreement that should simplify the recognition of diplomas and other documents.
The fifth priority is the development of academic leadership and educational institutions. The countries plan to continue exchanges of professors and university leaders, scholarship programs, as well as the work of the BRICS Rectors’ Forum. Furthermore, the possibility of creating a common classification and evaluation system for universities in the group’s countries will be studied.
India proposed the development of unified principles of cooperation between countries in the field of study and preservation of traditional and indigenous knowledge.
The meeting took place during India’s presidency of the BRICS in 2026.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
