On September 5, 2020, as a part of Sherpa Track for the G20 (group of twenty) Leaders Summit 2020, which will be held at the end of 2020, the current chair of G20 i.e. Saudi Arabia hosted the virtual G20 Education Ministers Meeting from Riyadh (Capital of Saudi Arabia) to discuss and share experiences of member countries in the three identified areas viz. Education Continuity in Times of Crises, Early Childhood Education and Internationalization in Education.
- The meeting was chaired by Saudi Arabia’s Education Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Asheikh where India was represented by Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Ministry of Education.
- The focus of the meet was Fostering 21st Century Human Capabilities.
Key Points:
-The meet saw an expression of support from education ministers by adopting a communique for individual and collective efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on education and to share best practices for building a strong education system and the adaptation of such practices at the local, national, and international levels.
-There is a need to improve access to affordable high-quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) for all children, especially those in vulnerable groups.
– It should be noted that the themes of the meet are the priority areas of the Government of India and are also a part of new National Education Policy 2020.
-India is committed to collaborate with G 20 member countries in the area of education.
Recent Related News:
In April, 2020 the World Bank’s Development Committee and the G20 Finance Ministers endorsed the Debt Service Suspension Initiative in response to a call by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to grant debt-service suspension to the poorest countries to help them manage the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
About G-20 or Group of Twenty:
Composition– 19 countries and the European Union (EU)
The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, and the US.
2020 Presidency– Saudi Arabia
2020 theme– Realizing Opportunities of the 21st Century For All
Chairman– Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (2020)
