Following
is the text of NEW DELHI DECLARATION ON EDUCATION adopted in the 4th
Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education in New Delhi, on September 30, 2016.
We, the
BRICS Ministers of Education and assigned representatives of the Federative
Republic of Brazil, the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of India, the
Russian Federation
and the Republic of South
Africa,
Having met
in New Delhi, the Republic of India on September 30, 2016 to discuss and
coordinate areas of mutual interest and develop framework for future
cooperation in the field of education,
Following
the discussions in the meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Education on November
18, 2015 under the Chair of the Russian Federation and guided by the Moscow
Declaration,
Committed
to the SDG4 and corresponding targets set within ‘The 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development’ and the ‘Education 2030 Framework for Action’ which serve as the
overall guiding framework for the implementation of the Education 2030 agenda,
For
ensuring deeper cooperation among the Member States,
Hereby
declare to:
1. Reiterate our commitment to SDG4
which aims to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote
life-long learning opportunities for all” and the ‘Education 2030 Framework
for Action’, which serve as the overall guiding framework for the
implementation of the Education 2030 agenda;
2. Initiate actions to formulate
country-specific targets
within the broader scope of the SDG4 and corresponding targets, taking into
account the past gains and achievements in the education sector, emerging
national development priorities,
availability of resources, and institutional capacities; integrate the SDG4-related
targets with the national and subnational-level education sector development
plans/programmes; and build capacity at the national and subnational levels for measuring and
monitoring progress towards SDG4 and corresponding targets using the indicators
adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2016;
3. Reaffirm the need for universal equal access to quality education, including secondary and higher
education, technical and vocational education and training, and lifelong learning
opportunities for all;
4. Share the best practices
available in BRICS countries on collaboration in education, research and
innovation through the BRICS Network University.
5. Organize an annual conference of
the BRICS Network University in the country of the current BRICS Chair;
6. Encourage more universities to
participate in the BRICS University League to facilitate student mobility and
collaborative research;
7. Expand technical and vocational
education and skills development programmes, for facilitating acquisition of
skills and competencies by young people and adults for enhancing their
employability and encourage innovation and entrepreneurship;
8. Strengthen coordination within
the BRICS TVET Working Group to: (a) develop national reports, (b) share
experiences relating to workforce demands and supply of skilled personnel in
BRICS member countries, (c) undertake skill gap analysis in consultation with
industry/employers for designing TVET programmes, (d) study skill qualification
framework in different countries and draft a BRICS TVET qualification framework,
and (e) undertake studies to evaluate outcomes of TVET interventions and
suggest policy responses. The Working Group will meet at least once a year.
9. Use information and communication
technologies (ICTs) for improving access to education, enhancing the quality of
teaching-learning process, teacher development, and strengthening educational
planning and management;
10.
Identify a
nodal institution within each country and create an institutional network to
share ICT policies, Open Educational Resources and other e-resources, including
e-Libraries, among BRICS member countries;
11.
Share
information on higher education systems, approval and
recognition processes, quality assurance and accreditation, and prevalent
procedures and practices for evaluation and recognition of qualifications to
facilitate academic mobility; may also consider subsequently to constitute an expert
group to work towards the development of a framework for mutual recognition of qualifications across
BRICS countries;
12.
Facilitate mobility of
students and scholars, and
encourage exchange of teaching faculty, especially those working in the areas
relating to the six domains identified for cooperation within the BRICS Network
University;
13.
Develop
an enabling framework to promote research cooperation and knowledge transfer
among BRICS countries
in collaboration with other BRICS initiatives;
14.
Encourage active
involvement of the participating universities in the BRICS-NU;
The Federative Republic of
Brazil, the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation
and the Republic of South Africa extend their appreciation to the Government of
India for hosting the 4th meeting of the BRICS Ministers of
Education.
GG/RT/BRICS
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