Sanjay Dhotre recently participated in the G20 education minister meet. Catch highlights

Sanjay Dhotre, MoS for Education recently participated in the G20 education minister meet. The meeting was hosted in Italy on 22nd June 2021. G20 Ministers during the G20 education meet exchanged their views on how to fight against educational poverty on a global level.

During the meeting, Sanjay Dhotre reiterated India's commitment towards-

1. Reducing and eventually eliminating educational poverty
2. Eliminating inequalities and early school leaving

MoS for Education Sanjay Dhotre also spoke on National Education Policy, 2020. Minister emphasized how NEP 2020 promotes equitable and inclusive education for all. He said that NEP has been designed with a special focus on children and youth, especially girls, from socially and economically disadvantaged groups who are more at risk of being left behind.

Sanjay Dhotre said that the Indian education system is already on its way to progress by-

• Increasing intake capacity of schools
• Tracking out-of-school children
• Monitoring the learning outcomes of vulnerable students
• Ensuring physical safety & zero tolerance to breach of child rights
• Providing mid-day meals to ensure health of children
• Enabling mechanisms for Children With Special Needs
• Promoting multiple pathways to learning
• Strengthening open and distance learning programmes

G20 Education Ministers’ Declaration

G20 Education Ministers released a declaration post-meeting. The first point of the declaration reads, "We, Ministers of Education of the G20 members and invited countries, met in Catania, Italy, in a hybrid format, on June 22, 2021, to re-affirm the fundamental role of education for inclusive economic growth, equity, equality, human dignity, social inclusion, and wellbeing. We recognise the importance of putting education at the centre of the political agenda as part of the recovery from the present global crisis to build back better and with resilience for the future."

• The Ministers reiterated that the right to education is a human right and the basis for the realisation of all other rights, in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2018 G20 Education Ministers’ Declaration.
• Ministers assured that they recognise the importance of advancing discussions and initiatives to achieve progress on Sustainable Development Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda, to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. These include initiatives promoting gender equality and fighting all kinds of discrimination.
• Ministers also recognised the importance of enabling all people, particularly children and young people, to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development and active citizenship including, among others, through education for sustainable development.
• Ministers emphasized the importance of paying particular attention to young people and children from disadvantaged backgrounds, who face disproportionate challenges and a higher risk of falling further behind due to the pandemic and other socio-economic factors.
• Ministers said that measures should be taken are: preventive, tackling the structural roots of exclusion, interventionist, addressing the needs of students, and compensatory, providing second chance opportunities for those who have left school, or have experienced significant learning losses.