[Title] Declaration of the 9th Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education
We, the BRICS Ministers of Education and representatives of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of South Africa having met on May 26, 2022 via video conference to discuss the priorities of BRICS education cooperation under the current global situation.
Recalling the formal establishment of the Meeting of Ministers of Education mechanism in 2013, the Brasilia Declaration (2015), the Moscow Declaration (2015), the New Delhi Declaration (2016), the Beijing Declaration (2017), the Cape Town Declaration (2018), the Declaration of the Seventh Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education (2020) and the Declaration of the Eighth Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education (2021), we agreed that educational cooperation among BRICS countries is of great significance for building sustainable partnerships and promoting the advancement of inclusive and equitable education.
Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic fast-tracked digital technologies' integration into ed ucation and training, and the BRICS countries' need to further explore new education models and cooperation during and after the pandemic; jointly promote digital transformation in education and training; and aspire to eliminate the digital divide in countries.
Recognizing that the BRICS countries have been undertaking industrial upgrading and skill im provement, and need to continuously innovate vocational training modes to cultivate innovative and futuristic skilled talents for economic and social development of the country.
We reaffirmed that the BRICS countries are committed to implementing the UN Education 2030 Agenda, promoting education accessibility and equity, accelerating the development of quality ed ucation and training, encouraging exchanges among the youths, strengthening the cultivation of knowledge on sustainable development, and providing BRICS contributions for global governance.
We reviewed the progress of BRICS educational cooperation and communicated the existing strengths, deficiencies and challenges. To promote openness and deepen future collaboration, we agree to take the following actions:
I. Enable education in the context of digital transformation
1. Accelerate innovative digital transformation in education and training, especially in upgrading the use of artificial intelligence, actively create a favourable legal and policy environment, and build an open, inclusive, and resilient education and training system.
2. Improve the development of digital infrastructure and training systems for digital literacy and skill development, address the digital divide, and promote digitalization in education and training administration.
3. Support the sharing of teaching and learning materials as Open Educational Resources (OER).
4. Improve information literacy of teachers/lecturers and students, strengthen teachers/lecturers' ability to apply information and communication technologies (ICT), and cultivate students' ability to use ICT.
5. Encourage cooperation among education and training institutions, develop online education and training quality assessment standards, enhance the sharing of digital educational resources (as OER).
6. Explore mutual recognition of online learning outcomes and credits.
7. Promote digital-based international education and training, including TVET exchange, develop digital campus, and establish digital teaching and research platforms with expansive academic disciplines for scholars and students.
II. Link industry, innovation and TVET
8. Strengthen the integrated development of education, talent, industry and innovation sector, and improve the role of education in advancing socio-economic development.
9. Support the establishment of the BRICS TVET Cooperation Alliance, hold the BRICS Skills Competition, and build a platform for exchanges and cooperation between vocational institutions and enterprises.
10. Cultivate talents energized with "language + skills". Cooperatively develop teaching mate rials and course resources that meet local industry needs with international perspective.
11. Exchange TVET experiences and concepts, jointly formulate TVET standards, encourage the construction of a platform for sharing teaching and learning OER resources for collectively promoting quality development of TVET.
12. Advocate the concepts of sustainable development into TVET, develop courses and improve understanding among teachers/lecturers and students, and promote positive interaction between social and human development.
13.Collaborate among TVET institutions to facilitate international and dual certification and virtual/physical exchange programmes.
14. Advocate cooperation in exchange of students, teachers/lecturers, experts, managers, in terns/apprentices in different businesses/industries.
15. Bring joint initiatives for futuristic skills and new generation courses such as Internet of things (IoT), smart city, smart healthcare, drone technology, block chain and artificial intelligence, etc.
16.Enhance accessibility to labour market information databases for exchange of information on demand and supply of skilled workforce
III. Build a sustainable BRICS education future
17.Share the experiences and best practices of implementing the Education 2030 Agenda to pro mote education equity, quality, and lifelong learning.
18. Encourage higher education and training institutions, including TVET to cooperate on major issues related to human development and global governance, such as climate change, energy security, and public health.
19. Strengthen the BRICS Network University and BRICS University League, encourage member universities to consolidate existing cooperation projects and expand collaboration in emerging fields.
20. Intensify cooperation within BRICS Network University by establishing the Coordinating University from among its members on a rotational basis to support the ongoing activities of BRICS Network University.
21. Elaborate an Action Plan to follow the Concept of the BRICS Network University Operation and Development and update the Road Map of the BRICS Network University for the short and medium term to provide its sustainable development for the benefit of young people in BRICS countries and worldwide.
22. Integrate education on sustainable development into the national policy framework. Provide students with knowledge, skills, values, and behaviors required for sustainable development.
23. Support the activities of the BRICS summer/winter schools, build a youth exchange plat form, enhance the trust and friendship between the young generation and enrich future cooperation.
The Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, and the Republic of South Africa extend their gratitude to the government of the People's Republic of China for hosting the 9th Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education.
The English version of this Declaration was unanimously approved on May 26, 2022, and distributed by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China to all BRICS Member States.