Following is the text of Beijing DECLARATION ON
education adopted in the 5th Meeting of BRICS Ministers of
Education in Beijing, China, on July 5th, 2017.
We,
the BRICS Ministers of Education and assigned 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 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China on July 4th and 5th,
2017 to discuss education reforms, approaches to promoting equity in education
and fostering quality education, strengthening BRICS collaboration in the field
of education, and exchange of students and scholars and teaching faculty among
BRICS Member States;
recalling
Brasilia Declaration on March 2nd, 2015, Moscow
Declaration on November 18th, 2015 and New Delhi Declaration
on September 30th, 2016;
Committed
to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4)-Education 2030 which aims to
“Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long
learning opportunities for all” that was set within The 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development.
Recognizing
the significance of collaboration in the field of education for enhancing the
overall partnership among BRICS Member States and enhancing people to people
exchanges to a higher level;
Realizing
that the scale of education development in BRICS Member States is expanding
rapidly, and that all Member States face common challenges in promoting
educational equity, accessibility and in improving the quality of education;
Considering
that higher education contributes to the development of high-level human
resources and intellectual support for the economic and social development,
studies of BRICS Member States will enhance the mutual understanding between
each Member State, and
Recognizing
that the mobility of faculty and students, and sharing of information among the
Member States is of great importance for the implementation of the consensus
arrived at the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education.
For
ensuring coordinated and deeper cooperation among the Member States, hereby
declare to;
1. Reiterate
support for the BRICS Network University (NU) to collaborate in the fields of
education, research and Innovation. Encourage universities to participate in
the BRICS University League.
2. Increase
cultural cooperation through language education and multilingualism to promote
mutual understanding of the history and culture of BRICS Member States.
3. Undertake
initiatives to promote professionalization of academics in higher education
through the BRICS Network University as a focus of future education development.
4. Encourage more
teachers and educational administrators to learn from experience of other
countries in improving teacher quality and performance, and promoting the
development of education through international exchanges.
5. Strengthen
cooperation in the field of technical and Vocational Education and Training
(TVET), share ideas and experiences in the development of vocational educators,
and develop projects that are of common interests to BRICS Member States.
6. Recognize the
importance of BRICS Think Tanks Council (BTTC), BRICS Network University as
well as other BRICS initiatives, and encourage the streamlining of mechanisms
for their closer cooperation to ensure the alignment of their work.
7. Emphasize the
importance of streamlining the cooperation among educational think tanks and
education researchers, and welcome China’s invitation to host a conference to
explore possible cooperation among the various entities in BRICS Member States.
8. Encourage the
organization of “youth winter/summer camps” to reinforce communication and
cultural exchanges among the young generation from BRICS Member States.
9. Encourage Member
States to expand the number of scholarship opportunities to students across
BRICS Member States.
10. Share the
experience and practices in achieving the SDG4-Education 2030 targets in order
to foster a more favorable policy environment, adopt effective practices, and
advocate for global educational policies that take into account the common
concern and priorities of the BRICS Member States.
11. Encourage the participation
in the 3rd BRICS NU Annual Conference to be held in 2018, in Cape
Town, South Africa and in the BRICS Global business and Innovation Conference
to be held in September 2017, in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The
Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India,
and the Republic of South Africa extend their appreciation to the Government of
the People’s Republic of China for hosting the 5th Meeting of BRICS
Ministers of Education.
*****
GG/AK/RK/
BRICS-2017
