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Education
is one of the main pillars of development for many emerging
economies. You cannot overlook the role education plays in
strengthening national economy and advancing industries. So I think
it was a welcoming move from the BRICS nations when they highlighted
education at the 6th BRICS summit.
Let’s
have a look at what the leaders decided at the summit....
Education
for All
Recently
leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa have
“reaffirmed” their commitment to speed up progress to achieve
their “Education for All” goals by 2015 at the 6th
BRICS Summit in Fortelza, Brazil.
The
leaders of the BRICS nations agreed through the 6thBRICS Summit-Fortaleza Declaration that it is imperative to attain
their Millennium Development Goals, which are related to education,
by the year 2015. These emerging nations also decided that the agenda
for educational development after 2015 should be based on the present
goals and build on them. I believe this will ensure quality,
reasonable and comprehensive education and continuous learning for
everyone.
At
the conclusion of the BRICS Summit, the Fortaleza Declaration stated,
“We recognize the strategic importance of education for sustainable
development and inclusive economic growth. We are willing to
strengthen intra-BRICS cooperation in the area and welcome the
meeting of Ministers of Education held in Paris, in November 2013. We
intend to continue cooperation with relevant international
organizations. We encourage the initiative to establish the BRICS
Network University.”
Collaborating
for Development
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The
Fortaleza Declaration also mentioned that in March 2014 the members
agreed to work together through collaboration, operation, dialogue,
capacity building and sharing experiences on matters related to
population that mutually concern all the member countries.
The
Declaration informed, “We recognize the vital importance of the
demographic dividend that many of us possess to advance our
sustainable development as well as the need to integrate population
factors into national development plans, and to promote a long-term
balanced population and development.”
All
the participating leaders believe that challenges related to
“demographic transition and post-transition” as well mortality
reduction and population ageing are probably the most severe
challenges that we are experiencing currently. The declaration added,
“We confirm our strong commitment to address social issues in
general and in particular gender inequality, women's rights and
issues facing young people and we reaffirm our determination to
ensure sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights for
all.”
Encouraging
Cultural Exchanges
Apart
from developing education, the summit also recognised the need for
promoting cultural exchanges, which would probably help in supporting
education among the BRICS nations. The 6th
BRICS Summit-Fortaleza Declaration said that the leaders will
encourage and push cooperation among all the BRICS member nations in
the cultural area, particularly on ‘the multilateral basis.” This
decision is important as the relation between sustainable development
and culture is crucial for overall advancement. Moreover the role
that cultural diplomacy plays as an advocate of understanding between
individuals also led to the decision.
Realising
the advantages of cultural exchanges and the importance of
cooperation in improving camaraderie and mutual understanding, the
declaration added, “We will actively promote greater awareness,
understanding and appreciation of each other’s arts and culture. In
this regard, we ask our relevant authorities responsible for culture
to explore areas of practical cooperation, including to expedite
negotiations on the draft agreement on cultural cooperation.”
The
BRICS Group
BRICS
is an association of 5 foremost developing national economies, which
include Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. All the
member countries are emerging or recently industrialised nations,
notable for their prominent and rapidly advancing economies. All of
the 5 BRICS countries are members of the G-20 and represent around 3
billion people, as of 2013. The member countries stand for 18 per
cent of the global economy, as of 2014.
Do
you think the BRICS nations will actually be able to achieve the
“Education for All” goal by 2015? Let us know your opinions and
feel free to post your comments....
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