Bhubaneswar: Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday called on BRICS nations to deepen collaboration in education, saying common challenges such as resilience, innovation and sustainability cannot be addressed by countries acting alone.
Addressing the 13th BRICS Education Ministers' Meeting in Bhubaneswar, Joshi said India's BRICS Chairship is guided by the principles of resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability, adding that these priorities are particularly relevant to education.
"India's Chairship of BRICS is guided by building resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability," he said.
Highlighting the need for resilient education systems, Joshi said institutions must be prepared to withstand disruptions caused by pandemics, economic uncertainty, climate change and rapid technological advances.
On innovation, he said education systems must continue to evolve to meet changing aspirations. "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.
Calling for greater international collaboration, the minister stressed that education challenges require collective action. "None of us can address these challenges 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.
The meeting, being held under India's BRICS Chairship 2026, brought together education ministers, senior officials and delegates from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Indonesia, Iran, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.
According to the Ministry of Education, discussions focused on early childhood care and education (ECCE), skill development, research and innovation, mutual recognition of academic qualifications, academic leadership and institutional collaboration.
Background
The meeting is part of a series of education engagements organised under India's BRICS Chairship 2026, which has adopted the overarching theme of "Building Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability." Ahead of the ministerial meeting, India hosted the 3rd BRICS Senior Officials' Meeting in Bhubaneswar on August 5, where officials worked on the draft Ministers' Declaration and a roadmap for future education cooperation.
Education has emerged as a key pillar of BRICS cooperation over the past decade. Previous ministerial declarations have focused on digital learning, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), mutual recognition of qualifications, university partnerships, research collaboration, entrepreneurship and early childhood education, while reaffirming the bloc's commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on inclusive and equitable quality education.
