BHUBANESWAR — India hosted the 13th BRICS Education Ministers' Meeting in the eastern state of Odisha this week, bringing together education ministers and senior officials from BRICS member countries to advance cooperation on school education, higher education, skills development, research and academic mobility under India's 2026 chairship of the bloc.
The meeting, held in Bhubaneswar from Aug. 5 to 7, is part of a broader series of ministerial engagements ahead of the BRICS Leaders' Summit scheduled to take place in New Delhi in September. India's Ministry of Education said the discussions were aimed at strengthening collaboration in education while supporting sustainable development, innovation and people-to-people exchanges among member countries.
Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi represented India at the meeting, where delegates discussed expanding cooperation in early childhood education, improving access to quality learning, promoting vocational education and skills, encouraging research and innovation, supporting start-up ecosystems, and enhancing mutual recognition of academic qualifications, according to the ministry.
The meeting also reviewed progress made through previous BRICS education initiatives and explored ways to strengthen institutional partnerships among universities and research organizations across member countries. Officials said greater academic exchanges and collaboration in emerging technologies formed part of the agenda.
India has made education one of the priorities during its BRICS presidency, organizing a series of engagements involving policymakers, higher education institutions, researchers and students throughout the year. The government has said these activities are intended to broaden participation in educational cooperation and ensure that policy discussions are informed by academic and youth perspectives.
The education meeting follows other ministerial events hosted by India under its BRICS chairship, including meetings covering energy, agriculture, women's development and other sectors, as New Delhi prepares to host the annual summit later this year. Officials have said India's presidency is guided by the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
BRICS was originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and has since expanded its membership. Education cooperation has remained one of the bloc's established areas of collaboration, focusing on academic partnerships, research, innovation and capacity building.
The education ministers' meeting is scheduled to conclude on Aug. 7, with participating countries expected to finalize outcomes reflecting areas of consensus on future cooperation, according to the Ministry of Education.
