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G20 Education Working Group Meeting in Pune Shines Spotlight on Foundation Literacy and Numeracy

The fourth and final Education Working Group (EDWG) meeting will be held in Pune, Maharashtra, from June 19 to 22, with the education ministerial meeting on June 22.
on Jun 15, 2023

The fourth and final Education Working Group (EDWG) meeting will be held in Pune, Maharashtra, from June 19 to 22, with the education ministerial meeting on June 22. The meeting's theme is "Ensuring Foundation Literacy and Numeracy, Especially in the Context of Blended Learning."

Similar to past sessions, a seminar will be held prior to the main EAWG Meeting and will focus on the priority topic of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, according to K Sanjay Murthy, secretary for higher education and Secretary for the Department of School Education and Literacy.

He said that a number of nations, including Spain, Australia, Indonesia, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China, and the United Kingdom, have indicated an interest in the seminar's subject and will be participating as panelists at this time.

According to the ministry, as of this writing, 14 ministers from the countries of the United Kingdom, Italy, Brazil, China, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Singapore, Oman, Mauritius, Japan, Bangladesh, Egypt, "UAE, and the Netherlands" have confirmed their attendance at the ministerial conference.

He clarified that the Department of Higher Education is hosting a lecture on June 16 at ISER, Pune, in conjunction with Elsevier as a prelude to the G20 EAWG conference. The seminar's topic is "Accessible Science: Fostering Collaboration."

According to Murthy, "This event will bring together stakeholders from the scientific community to talk about best practices for accessible science, how accessible science can be used in different countries with different local capacities, and strategies for using science practices helping global advancement.

The Ministerial Meeting, which will include participation from Education Ministers from G20 members and invited nations, will follow the Education Working Group meeting, he added.

The Ministerial Meeting will feature the presentation of outcome materials such as a report, a compilation of international best practices in the key areas, and the ministerial statement.

The Department of School Education and Literacy is organizing a number of precursor events, which Sanjay Kumar and the Secretary for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship discussed.

A 2-day National Conference on Foundation Literacy and Numeracy, Creating the Base for Life-long Learning, will be held from June 17–18 at Savitribai Phule University, Pune, as a prelude to the main event.

According to the press release, "The conference will assist in identifying and discussing the best practices states are adopting in creating a setting that facilitates foundational literacy and numeracy in young learners."

He also stated that the conference's goal is to reflect on two key topics: capacity building and teacher training in blended learning environments, as well as teaching-learning methodologies and pedagogy for FLN in the context of multilingualism.

"The experts from different sectors have been invited to share their experiences and knowledge with the audience in order to pinpoint potential areas for collaborative projects, cross-learning, and implementation issues.

Participants at this event will include representatives from the education departments of all Indian states and universities, as well as from UNESCO, UNICEF, and civil society organizations, the official said.

Further information provided by Kumar included the concurrent opening of an exhibition at Pune's Savitribai Phule University on June 17.

It will highlight novel approaches used by States, UTs, and other education-related organizations, particularly in FLN, Digital initiatives, research, and skill development. The show will include over 100 exhibitors.

A number of activities, such as Janbhagidari events, workshops, exhibitions, seminars, and conferences, have already begun as of June 1, 2023, at the state, district, block, panchayat, and school levels, involving people from all strata of life in the lead-up to the fourth Education "Working Group Meeting of the G20. He also stated that this was done in order to involve people from all walks of life.

According to the press release, "the entire program is turning out to be a huge success and has already seen a total participation of more than 2.33 crore including 157 crore students, 25.46 lakh teachers, and 5110 lakh people from the community up until Day 12 which is not only unprecedented but also reflects a high level of interest and engagement among masses."

In the run-up to the 4th EAWG conference, Atul Kumar Tiwari spoke about the success of Jan Bhagidari in Odisha and claimed a similar campaign is being launched based on a list of pre-identified 35 themes, such as financial literacy.

Tiwari stated that the MSDE was able to mobilize 2300 skill-based organizations, including ITls, JSS, PMKK, Polytechnic, Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, and some schools, colleges, and universities. Additionally, Tiwari stated that the Jan Bhagidari activities, which included webinars, workshops, skill tests, awareness campaigns, and rallies, saw participation from more than 10 lakh people nationwide. He said that MSDE and the Ministry of Education had been collaborating on the meetings of the education working group.