The New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration by prioritizing deliberations on critical areas like Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), Tech-enabled learning , Building Capacities for Lifelong learning and the Future of Work and Strengthening Research and innovation through Collaboration, has renewed the global resolve to work for an equitable and sustainable future through education and has provided a roadmap for the same, union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Tuesday.
He lauded the visionary leadership and clear narrative provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take forwards the global education agenda under the G20 architecture. He said this has resulted in world recognition for India’s education and skill ecosystem and endorsement for the major principles and priorities of our National Education Policy 2020.
The Minister further added that the Leaders’ Declaration resonates with the education working group priorities on the three identified accelerators of Digital Transformation, Just Green Transition, and Women-led Development.
This is reflected in the commitment to enhancing women’s meaningful participation as decision makers, including in quality education; focus on developing Digital Public Infrastructure including in education, and promoting LiFE.
Points on education that have been included in the Leaders Declaration:
The importance of investment in supporting human capital development for transforming our education systems and responding to the challenges of the 21st century has been recognized.
As part of commitment to SDG 4 (Quality Education), the role of schools and the need to increase enrolment and retention of all learners, particularly for vulnerable learners has been emphasised.
The need for immediate and collective action to ensure all learners acquire foundational skills by 2030, reducing the percentage of children unable to read and do math by grade 2 or 3, especially girls and children with disabilities was also reaffirmed.
The emerging trends, changing patterns in the use of digital and technological solutions in education, the transformative potential of digital technologies as an enabler for developing affordable and accessible learning resources and need for building the capacities of institutions and teachers has been recognised.
The need to keep pace with emerging technologies, including AI, and focus on building Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in Education have also been highlighted. We are doing this through our programmes like SWAYAM, DIKSHA, among others.
The Leaders Declaration has also recognized the importance of strengthening collaborations in research and innovation among Higher Education Institutions through joint academic and research initiatives like Joint/Dual, Twinning degree programmes, enhanced mobility of students and faculty.
Speaking on the follow up action being taken further to the G20 Education Working Group meetings, Pradhan informed that research collaborations are being actively done with several countries.
“This is being reflected through our joint initiatives such as the signing of MoUs between Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT Council), and the Association of American Universities (AAU) to establish the India-US Global Challenges Institute, that will bring together leading research and higher-education institutions from across our two nations, to advance new frontiers in science and technology, spanning collaboration in sustainable energy and agriculture, health and pandemic preparedness, semiconductor technology and manufacturing, advanced materials, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, and quantum science.”
“We are also witnessing a many new emerging multi-institutional collaborative education partnerships, such as those between New York University-Tandon and IIT Kanpur Advanced Research Center, the Joint Research Centers of the State University of New York at Buffalo and IIT Delhi, Kanpur, Jodhpur, and BHU, in the areas of critical and emerging technologies, IIT Bombay joining the Chicago Quantum Exchange and the start of the India-US Defence Accelaration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) Similarly we are exploring university level collaborations with other countries like Australia, UAE, Taiwan, UK and others in many critical areas,” he added.
Pradhan shed light on how India’s G20 presidency gave our education priorities, contextual realities and national initiatives, an acceleration and a platform for demonstrating long term systemic policy vision. By fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovative approaches, India and its G20 partners created impetus for furthering coordinated action on futuristic education and training systems.
