BRICS discuss cooperation in education

Experts and representatives of BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) met in Brasília on Monday (Mar. 2) to discuss proposals for multilateral cooperation in professional and technological education, higher education, and joint methodologies for educational metrics.

The discussion included basic principles for a common university network, a league of universities to develop joint research projects, and increasing academic mobility of faculty, researchers, and students across BRICs countries.

The proposals were submitted to Brazil's Minister of Education, Cid Gomes, and the deputy ministers of South Africa (Mduduzi Manana); China (Yubo Du); India (Satyanarayan Mohanty), and Russia (Alexander Klimov) at the 2nd Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education. After the meeting, the ministers signed the Declaration of Brasília with the key decisions and recommendations for future initiatives in the area.

“Staff analysts from each country carried out studies to inform the ministers' political decisions. There were also bilateral meetings between university representatives from BRICS countries to discuss academic mobility schemes for the future,” said Aline Schleicher, International Advisor to Brazil's Ministry of Education (MEC).

Nilton Cometti, General Planning Coordinator for MEC, said one of the goals of the meeting is to allow the five countries to share experiences in professional education. In Brazil, he said, one important challenge is to plan course offerings based on the demands of the productive sector, and reaching out to the people who most need professional education.

The meeting helped advance the action plan approved in the 6th BRICS Summit last July in Fortaleza, and the discussions of the first meeting of Education Ministers held in November 2013. New meetings are planned to take place on April 25-29 in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso (Brazil), then in mid-May, in St. Petersburg, Russia, and in October in Beijing, China, when the League of BRICS Universities will be launched.

Translated by Mayra Borges