Bhubaneswar: Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi Friday called on BRICS countries to work together to address common challenges in the education sector, saying issues such as resilience, innovation and sustainability cannot be tackled in isolation.
Chairing the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting, which concluded with the adoption of a five-point BRICS Education Ministers’ Declaration, Joshi said India’s chairship was guided by the principles of resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.
Reaffirming India’s commitment to a ‘people-centric’ and ‘humanity-first’ approach to BRICS cooperation, Joshi said innovation is essential to ensure education systems continuously evolve to meet the aspirations of future generations.
Explaining the importance of resilience, Joshi said education systems must be capable of withstanding disruptions caused by pandemics, economic uncertainties, climate-related challenges and the rapid pace of technological change.
On innovation, the minister said education systems cannot afford to remain static.
“This is because the world around us is changing rapidly. Education systems must continue to evolve to meet the aspirations of each new generation and prepare our young people for opportunities that may not even exist today,” he said.
Emphasising the need for collaboration, Joshi said cooperation and sustainability are essential to effectively address shared challenges.
“More of us can meet these challenges, but none of us can address them in isolation. The knowledge we create, the technology we develop and the institutions we strengthen must serve not only the present generation but also the generations to come,” he said.
He said that education systems must prepare young people for emerging opportunities while remaining firmly rooted in human values.
Learners, teachers, researchers and young people should remain at the centre of policy-making and international cooperation, he said.
Joshi said education is the foundation of inclusive growth and shared prosperity, and that the adopted declaration reflected the collective commitment of BRICS nations to strengthen cooperation across the five priority areas. He also stressed the importance of preserving and promoting traditional and indigenous knowledge systems.
He said innovation and heritage complement one another.
“The rich civilisational traditions of BRICS nations presented a unique opportunity to preserve traditional knowledge, study it rigorously, and pass on its value to future generations,” the minister said.
Ministers, senior officials and delegates from BRICS member countries, including Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Indonesia, Iran, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates attended the meeting aimed at advancing cooperation under the BRICS Education Track.
The five priority areas which were adopted at the meeting include Strengthening Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN).
“It was agreed to promote universal and inclusive access to quality ECCE, strengthen school readiness, and encourage the use of age-appropriate digital solutions for early learning,” an official said.
The second point to which all the BRICS nations agreed was to strengthen cooperation in skill development and TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training).
The Declaration also acknowledged India’s initiative to undertake an International Skill Gap Study, with participation by interested BRICS members on a voluntary basis.
The meeting also adopted a proposal of enhancing research, innovation and start-up ecosystems.
Under this agreement, the BRICS nations will promote joint research, encourage the safe, ethical and human-centred use of Artificial Intelligence in education, strengthen innovation-driven entrepreneurship, and deepen collaboration among higher education institutions, researchers and start-up ecosystems.
The declaration also agreed to advance mutual recognition of qualifications (MRQ) and strengthening capacity building for academic leadership and institutional development.
Ahead of the ministerial meeting, the Ministry of Education hosted the 3rd BRICS senior officials’ meeting under India’s BRICS Chairship 2026 August 5.
An official statement said that India will continue to host BRICS Ministerial Meetings across various sectors during its Chairship, culminating in the 18th BRICS Summit, scheduled to be held in New Delhi September 12 and 13, 2026.