BHUBANESWAR: Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday reiterated India’s commitment to a people-centric and humanity-first approach to BRICS cooperation.
Chairing the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting on its concluding day in the state capital, Joshi expressed confidence that the momentum generated by the deliberations would lead to meaningful actions in preparing the youth for emerging opportunities while remaining firmly rooted in human values.
Referring to India’s BRICS Chairship-2026 theme, ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’, the minister said learners, teachers, researchers and young people should remain at the centre of policymaking and international cooperation. He stressed the importance of preserving and promoting traditional and indigenous knowledge systems, complementing innovation with heritage.
Joshi also highlighted Odisha’s rich legacy as an ancient centre of learning and reflected on India’s enduring civilisational values of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ and ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.’
He said the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Declaration reflects the collective commitment of BRICS nations to strengthen cooperation across the priority areas. The declaration focused on strengthening early childhood care and education (ECCE) and foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) to promote universal and inclusive access to quality learning; strengthening cooperation in skill development and technical and vocational education and training (TVET); enhancing research, innovation and startup ecosystems for innovation-driven entrepreneurship, encouraging safe, ethical and human-centred use of AI in education and deepen collaboration among higher education institutions, researchers and startup ecosystems.
