G20 edu ministers meet resolves inclusion of 21st century skills in curriculum develop

The G20 education ministers meeting in Argentina, the first ever for the group, has resolved the need for inclusion of 21st century skills in curriculum development and pedagogical approaches at all levels of education.

The meet, which concluded on Thursday, also agreed on the use of innovative pedagogies, approaches, methods and tools with appropriate diverse learning environments to engage students in their education.

"In line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda, we affirm our commitment to ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all," a declaration made at the meeting said.

India was represented at the meet by Minister of State (MoS) for Human Resource and Development (HRD) Satya Pal Singh.

He highlighted several initiatives of the Modi government in the education sector, including the country's Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform 'SWAYAM', which has been facilitating and encouraging a large number of students to learn anytime, anywhere.

Singh said a special emphasis has been laid for teachers training by setting up National Resource Centres in 75 specific disciplines for delivering online refresher courses for 1.3 million faculty in higher education institutions.

The MoS also held talks with education ministers of nine countries.

The declaration adopted at the meet acknowledged that adequate levels of domestic and international investment in education be provided to achieve inclusive, equitable and quality education as well as lifelong learning opportunities for all.

It also talked about facilitating the internationalisation of education, including cross-border recognition of qualifications and skills, and mobility of students, teachers, academic and non-academic staff, trainers and researchers, with a view to improving quality education and research, in accordance with the respective national laws, rules and policies.

The declaration also supported the promotion of exchange and scholarship programmes among G20 members and other countries, particularly with developing countries around the globe.