13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting 2026: Key Outcomes

Context:

Recently, the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting concluded in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, with the adoption of a Joint Declaration outlining a roadmap for cooperation in education, skills, research and innovation. India, as the BRICS Chair for 2026, emphasised a people-centric and humanity-first approach, with learners, teachers, researchers and youth at the centre of international cooperation.

About India’s BRICS Chairship 2026:

India assumed the BRICS Presidency on 1 January 2026 for the fourth time after 2012, 2016 and 2021.

Theme

“Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”

The theme reflects India's focus on:

• • • Resilient global systems
    • Innovation and technology
    • Greater cooperation among developing countries
    • Sustainable and inclusive development
    • People-centric Global South cooperation

The 18th BRICS Summit is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on 12–13 September 2026.

Key Outcomes of the Education Ministers’ Meeting:

The Joint Declaration identified five priority areas for cooperation.

1. Early Childhood Education: BRICS countries will strengthen access to quality early childhood care and education, along with foundational literacy and numeracy.

2. Technical and Vocational Education: Greater cooperation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) will help align skills with emerging employment opportunities.

3. Research, Innovation and AI: Members will promote:

• • • Joint research
    • Innovation ecosystems
    • Start-ups
    • Ethical use of Artificial Intelligence in education

This can facilitate knowledge sharing and technological capacity-building across the Global South.

4. Mutual Recognition of Qualifications: The declaration supports greater mutual recognition of academic qualifications, facilitating student mobility and educational cooperation among BRICS members.

5. Academic Leadership and Mobility: Cooperation will be strengthened through:

• • • Faculty exchanges
    • Scholarships
    • Academic leadership programmes
    • Institutional development

About BRICS:

• • • BRICS is an intergovernmental cooperation platform representing major emerging economies and the Global South.
    • The term BRIC was coined by economist Jim O’Neill in 2001. Formal cooperation began in 2006, while the first BRIC Summit was held at Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009.

Expansion

• • • 2010: South Africa joined, creating BRICS.
    • 2024: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and UAE joined.
    • 2025: Indonesia became a full member.

BRICS now has 11 full members.

Significance for India:

• • • Global South Leadership: BRICS provides India with an important platform to articulate the interests of developing and emerging economies.
    • Strategic Autonomy: It enables India to engage with diverse geopolitical groupings while maintaining an independent foreign-policy approach.
    • Education and Human Capital: Cooperation in skills, research, AI and student mobility can strengthen India's knowledge economy and demographic dividend.
    • Technology Cooperation: Collaboration in AI, digital technologies, research and innovation can support inclusive technological development.
    • Cultural Diplomacy: Promoting traditional and indigenous knowledge enhances India's civilisational diplomacy and soft power.

Way Forward:

India should use its chairship to promote practical, consensus-based cooperation in education, technology, health, climate action and trade. Greater institutional coordination, academic mobility, research partnerships and digital cooperation can make BRICS more effective in addressing the concerns of the Global South.