India’s G20 Presidency aims to bridge edu gaps

June 20, 2023 38 Views No Comment

PUNE, JUNE 20 (MExN): There is a learning crisis and a significant portion of students in elementary school are struggling to gain Foundational Literacy and Numeracy skills, as suggested by various surveys across the globe, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Education Rajkumar Ranjan Singh stated on Monday.

“The ability to read and write, and perform basic operations with numbers, is a necessary foundation and an indispensable prerequisite for all future schooling and lifelong learning. Various surveys from across the globe suggest that we are in a learning crisis and a significant portion of students in elementary school are struggling to gain FLN,” he said.

The minister made the remarks during a keynote address at the fourth and final G20 Education Working Group (EdWG) meeting at Savitribai Phule, Pune University. The seminar is organised alongside the G20 fourth Education Working Meeting, with approximately 50 delegates from 20 countries in attendance, according to a PIB release.

“Attaining Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) for all children thus becomes an urgent priority for our educational systems requiring immediate measures to be taken on many fronts and with clear goals which will be attained in the short term (including that every student will attain foundational literacy and numeracy by Class 3),” he added.

The minister emphasised India’s focus on building upon previous G20 presidencies and addressing barriers to achieving the full transformative potential of education. These include bridging gaps in quality education and skills, as well as accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He highlighted India’s National Education Policy (NEP), which places particular emphasis on developing the creative potential of individuals. The NEP recognizes the importance of cognitive capacities such as literacy, numeracy, critical thinking, and problem-solving, while also nurturing social, ethical, and emotional abilities, the release mentioned.

“India’s G20 EdWG Presidency is focused on building and carrying forward deliberations in past presidencies and on addressing concerns which are impediment in realising full transformational potential of education by bridging gaps in quality education and skilling, as well as on accelerating the pursuit of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).

“Our new National Education Policy lays particular emphasis on the development of the creative potential of each individual as it is based on the principle that education must develop not only cognitive capacities — both the foundational capacities of literacy and numeracy and higher-order cognitive capacities, such as critical thinking and problem solving — but also social, ethical, and emotional capacities and dispositions,” he said.

The overarching theme of the meeting is “Ensuring Foundation Literacy and Numeracy, Especially in the Context of Blended Learning.” The EdWG meeting comprises various precursor events, seminars, exhibitions, heritage excursions, and will culminate with the Education Ministerial meeting on June 22.

On the sidelines of the meeting, an exhibition was inaugurated on June 17 that will showcase innovative practices being adopted in education and foundational literacy and numeracy, digital initiatives, research and skill development, in particular by the states and Union Territories, besides other agencies in the field of education.

In addition, an exhibition on Ensuring Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, Digital Initiatives, Research, and Skilling is being showcased, allowing delegates and officials to explore these themes between sessions, the release added.
Furthermore, the seminar featured presentations by UNICEF on Foundational Learning and Numeracy.

The seminar comprised of three distinct sessions with the first session focusing on teaching and learning approaches for foundational literacy and numeracy in a blended mode, while the second session addressed the role of parents, caregivers, and community members in supporting home learning, socio-emotional skills, and child health and nutrition.

The third session centered on capacity building and training of teachers for foundational literacy and numeracy in the context of multilingualism, the release said.

The first meeting of the G20 EdWG was held in Chennai in January, followed by one in Amritsar in March and the third in Bhubaneswar in April.