New Delhi: India will showcase the strength of its education sector— including infrastructure, innovation, and human resources— and, the initiatives being taken as a part of the implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, during the first meeting of G20 education working group to be held in Chennai on February 1 and 2, officials at the ministry of education said on Tuesday.
According to officials, the G20 education working group will hold a seminar ahead of the meeting at the research park of the Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) in Chennai on January 31 on the topic “tech enabled learning more inclusive, qualitative and collaborative at every level”. “The seminar will be attended by the delegates from all G20 nations. There will be an exhibition showcasing India’s achievements in the field of education and the NEP 2020 elements including SWAYAM, DIKSHA, and NIPUN Bharat, and researches, and innovations,” said a senior ministry official, who wished not to be named.
Besides, some of the G20 nations, including France, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Netherlands, will also put their best practices in the field of education on display.
Explaining how the seminar that is planned by the Indian G20 education working group is different from those conducted by any other country in the past, another ministry official, said that this is the first time when inputs have been sought from all G20 nations for the seminar, “Over 16 countries have already shared their best practices, and common issues. Experts from India and from G20 countries will participate in the seminar. They are expected to put up a document at the end of the seminar and that document would provide a roadmap for the meeting to find futuristic solutions to the common challenges faced by the G20 nations. It will also be shared with the delegates attending the meeting,” the official said.
“This will give an opportunity to understand emerging trends and elements which can have global implications. This is the approach of these seminars will be to come up with something tangible and deliverable for all G20 nations,” the official added.
India assumed the G20 presidency in December and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the first time in the country in 2023. Education is one of the priority areas in the G20. India began its one-year journey with a unique outreach campaign called University Connect, an effort to involve youngsters in the country’s G20 presidency.
The second official said that all the G20 countries have expressed interest in the best practices adopted by India as a part of NEP 2020 implementation. “This is the first time that the G20 education working group of any country is giving a platform for sharing the best practices of all G20 nations. The G20 countries are not just sending their delegates but also nominating people to come and attend the seminar,” the official added.
The education working group will conduct three other such seminars throughout the year. The second seminar will be held in Amritsar on “research collaboration” in March, the third seminar on “building capacities promoting lifelong learning in context of future of work” will be held in Bhubaneswar, and the last seminar will be held in Pune on “ ensuring foundational literacy and numeracy”.
“All these seminars will be conducted at educational institutions so that the delegates understand the strength and diversity of our educational institutions. It will also boost foreign collaborations in the education sector. It will not involve just one institution but a collaborative effort of many institutions at a time,” the first official said.
