Education ministers from the expanded BRICS grouping are meeting in Bhubaneswar from August 5 to 7 for the 13th BRICS Education Ministers' Meeting, one of the key ministerial engagements under India's BRICS Chairship 2026. The meeting has brought together ministers and senior officials from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss the future of education cooperation among member countries.
The agenda includes early childhood care and education (ECCE), skill development, research and innovation, mutual recognition of academic qualifications, and academic leadership. Addressing the meeting, Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi underlined the need for greater collaboration, saying, "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."
What happened at the last meeting?
The 12th BRICS Education Ministers' Meeting was held in Brasília, Brazil, on June 5, 2025, under Brazil's presidency of the bloc. Ministers adopted a Joint Declaration committing to deeper cooperation in education and endorsed several new initiatives.
Among the key outcomes were:
promoting the ethical and human-centred use of Artificial Intelligence in education;
strengthening technical and vocational education and training (TVET) through the newly adopted BRICS TVET Cooperation Alliance Charter;
expanding the BRICS Network University; and
working towards the mutual recognition of academic qualifications through improved quality assurance and assessment systems.
What is BRICS?
BRICS is an intergovernmental grouping of major emerging economies. It originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining in 2010. The bloc has since expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.
Together, the member countries account for around 45% of the world's population and more than one-third of global GDP measured in purchasing power parity (PPP), making BRICS one of the world's largest multilateral groupings.
While BRICS was initially formed to strengthen economic and financial cooperation, its agenda has steadily expanded to include health, agriculture, labour, science, technology, culture and education.
Why is education important to BRICS?
Education has become one of the principal areas of cooperation under the bloc's People-to-People Exchanges pillar. Member countries face many similar challenges, including improving foundational learning, expanding access to higher education, preparing students for rapidly changing labour markets and strengthening research ecosystems.
Rather than creating a common education system, BRICS seeks to promote collaboration through policy dialogue, research partnerships, student and faculty exchanges and the sharing of best practices. The objective is to strengthen education systems while supporting innovation, skills development and sustainable economic growth.
What are the priorities this year?
India's chairship has identified five priority areas for education cooperation:
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) to strengthen foundational learning.
Skill development to prepare learners for future jobs and changing labour markets.
Research, innovation and start-up ecosystems through greater collaboration among universities.
Mutual recognition of academic qualifications, which could make it easier for students and professionals to study or work across BRICS countries.
Academic leadership and institutional governance to improve the quality and internationalisation of higher education institutions.
Why does the meeting matter?
Although BRICS ministerial declarations are not legally binding, they often shape long-term collaboration between member countries. Initiatives such as the BRICS Network University, the BRICS Universities League and the BRICS TVET Cooperation Alliance have emerged from previous meetings and now facilitate joint research, faculty exchanges, vocational education partnerships and student mobility.
As BRICS expands, education is viewed as a strategic area of cooperation alongside trade and technology, with member countries seeking to build a more connected knowledge ecosystem across the Global South.
