BRICS leaders push greater education cooperation, support responsible use of AI and emerging technologies

BRICS leaders have agreed to deepen cooperation in education, with a focus on the responsible use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, skills development, academic mobility and knowledge exchange.

The leaders also backed further work on a proposed BRICS University Global Ranking and Evaluation System and supported continued collaboration through established education platforms, including the BRICS Network University.

The commitments were outlined in a declaration issued after the BRICS leaders’ discussions. The declaration also welcomed the outcomes of the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting held in Bhubaneswar.

“We welcome the outcomes of the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting in Bhubaneswar and reaffirm our commitment to strengthening cooperation in education as a key driver of sustainable development, inclusive growth and people-to-people exchanges,” the declaration said.

The leaders also highlighted India’s initiative to circulate the BRICS Guiding Principles on strengthening academic cooperation around traditional and indigenous knowledge systems.

They encouraged the BRICS Network University to examine the inclusion of traditional, indigenous and local knowledge systems as an additional International Thematic Group, subject to established governance procedures and national laws and policies.

“We further support continued cooperation through existing BRICS education mechanisms, including the BRICS Network University, and note with appreciation India’s initiative in circulating the BRICS Guiding Principles on strengthening academic collaboration on traditional and indigenous knowledge systems, and encourage the BRICS Network University to consider the possible inclusion of traditional, indigenous and local knowledge systems as an additional International Thematic Group (ITG), in accordance with established governance procedures consistent with the national laws and policies of BRICS countries,” it added.

The declaration identified several areas for greater cooperation, including the exchange of education practices, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), recognition of academic qualifications and student and professional mobility.

BRICS countries also agreed to promote digital literacy and the safe, ethical and human-centered application of emerging technologies, including AI, in education. The leaders called for stronger institutional partnerships to support these objectives.

“We encourage continued organising of BRICS Rectors’ Forum and holding discussions of BRICS Education Olympiad and further exploration for the development of the BRICS University Global Ranking and Evaluation System.

“We highly recognise the important role played by the BRICS TVET Cooperation Alliance (BRICS-TCA) in building a multilateral platform for project cooperation, promoting information exchange and resource sharing, and advancing the joint development of TVET among member states. We look forward to the BRICS-TCA Biennial Progress Report and the BRICS-TCA Compendium of Sustainable Skill Initiatives,” it added.

The leaders further emphasized the need to strengthen vocational education and training and improve workforce readiness across BRICS countries.

They called for training programs to keep pace with changing labor market requirements and sustainable development priorities, including stronger links between technical and vocational education and training institutions and industry.

The declaration also called for joint efforts to improve institutional governance and expand access to quality education. It encouraged undergraduate and postgraduate exchange and scholarship programs, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

“We also encourage collaborative efforts to improve institutional governance, enhance quality and accessibility in education, and promote exchange and scholarship programs at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), TVET-industry linkage to foster innovation and expand job opportunities, and innovation and knowledge exchange to equip learners and institutions to address future opportunities and challenges,” it said.