New Delhi (NVI): To ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, even in times of Covid-19 crisis, education Ministers of G 20 countries have resolved to work together and share best practices in the area.
A virtual meeting of G20 Education Ministers was held yesterday to discuss and share experiences of member countries in the three identified areas of Education Continuity in Times of Crises, Early Childhood Education and Internationalization in Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development said in a statement today.
The meeting was the culmination of ongoing discussions on these themes, conducted virtually due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, who represented India said that these themes are also priority areas that the Indian Government has been pursuing.
“India’s commitment for these themes is reflected in the new National Education Policy 2020 that seeks to bring in transformational changes in the education landscape of the country, he said adding that India will continue the efforts it has taken to reform and transform its education system and mitigate the challenge posed by the Covid 19 pandemic.
He also said India is committed to collaborate with G 20 member countries in the area of education.
The Education Ministers also adopted a communique at the end of the meeting.
“Regarding ensuring education continuity in times of crises, the communique recognizes the value of distance and blended teaching and learning and underscore the importance of enhancing access to high-quality education, professional development for educators, digital infrastructure and content, cybersecurity awareness, appropriate teaching methodologies and active learning, while recognizing that these approaches complement face-to-face learning,” the HRD Ministry said.
The importance of research and data to assess the learning outcomes and quality of distance learning has also been stressed in the communique.
On the importance of Early Childhood Education (ECE) the communique emphasizes the importance of improving the accessibility and affordability of quality ECE for all children, especially those in vulnerable groups.
It also stresses on the need to raise family and community awareness of the vital role of quality ECE that is delivered in accordance with children’s developmental needs at each stage.
In addition to this, the communique expresses the resolve to encourage internationalization in education by sharing of best practices in education and the adaptation of such practices at the local, national, and international levels, as appropriate.
It also supports advancing the discussion on internationalization at the K-12 level. The communique emphasizes the impact of internationalization practices in a country in broadening students’ intercultural and global competencies and in providing equal learning opportunities and experiences for all.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is hosting G-20 Leaders’ Summit this year. The G20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union (EU).
-ARK
