India on Friday reaffirmed its commitment to a people-centric and humanity-first approach to BRICS cooperation as the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting concluded in Bhubaneswar with the adoption of a joint declaration outlining a roadmap for strengthening collaboration in education, skills, research and innovation.
Chairing the meeting, Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi said education must remain the foundation of inclusive growth and shared prosperity while preparing young people for emerging opportunities through innovation, cooperation and sustainability.
Referring to the theme of India’s BRICS Chairship 2026 – “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability” – Joshi said education systems should continuously evolve to meet the aspirations of future generations while remaining rooted in human values.
He emphasised that learners, teachers, researchers and young people should remain at the centre of policymaking and international cooperation, reaffirming India’s commitment to working closely with all BRICS partners.
The minister also highlighted the importance of preserving and promoting traditional and indigenous knowledge systems, saying innovation and heritage complement one another. He noted that the rich civilisational traditions of BRICS nations provide a unique opportunity to preserve, study and pass on traditional knowledge to future generations.
Highlighting Odisha’s legacy as an ancient centre of learning, Joshi also referred to India’s civilisational values of Atithi Devo Bhava and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, saying that despite differences in traditions and experiences, the progress of nations remains interconnected.
The meeting was attended by ministers, senior officials and delegates from Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Indonesia, Iran, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.
The 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Declaration identified five priority areas for future cooperation. These include expanding access to quality early childhood care and education and strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy; enhancing cooperation in technical and vocational education and training (TVET); promoting joint research, innovation, start-up ecosystems and the ethical use of artificial intelligence in education; advancing mutual recognition of academic qualifications to facilitate student mobility; and strengthening academic leadership, faculty exchanges, scholarship programmes and institutional development.
The declaration also recognised India’s proposal on guiding principles for strengthening academic collaboration on traditional and indigenous knowledge systems. It suggested that the BRICS Network University consider including traditional and indigenous knowledge as an additional international thematic area for collaboration.
Earlier this week, the Education Ministry hosted the 3rd BRICS Senior Officials’ Meeting in Bhubaneswar, where member countries reaffirmed their commitment to building inclusive, resilient and future-ready education systems through greater cooperation, innovation and knowledge sharing.
India will continue to host ministerial meetings across various sectors during its BRICS Chairship 2026, culminating in the 18th BRICS Summit, scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.
