Education ministers from BRICS countries have adopted a joint declaration covering artificial intelligence, foundational learning, skill development, academic mobility and research cooperation.

The declaration was adopted at the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting held in Bhubaneswar under India’s 2026 BRICS chairship.

Representatives from Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Indonesia, Iran, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates participated in the meeting.

Five Priority Areas

The roadmap focuses on:

1. Early-childhood education and foundational literacy
2. Technical and vocational education and training
3. Joint research, innovation and start-up ecosystems
4. Mutual recognition of academic qualifications
5. Faculty exchanges and academic leadership

The participating countries supported the safe, ethical and human-centred use of artificial intelligence in education.

They also agreed to continue discussions on a memorandum of understanding for mutual recognition of qualifications. Such an agreement could eventually make academic mobility easier, but no automatic recognition system has yet been implemented.

The declaration also encourages STEM scholarships, faculty exchanges, the BRICS Rectors’ Forum and exploratory work on a BRICS university ranking and evaluation framework.