India’s G- 20 presidency takes centerstage as a seminar on ‘Ensuring Foundational Literacy and Numeracy’ in the context of Blended Learning was held in Pune today, at Savitribai Phule Pune University. The seminar has been organised as part of the G20 4th Education Working Meeting. Around 50 delegates from 20 countries attended the Seminar today.
Union Minister of State for Education and External Affairs Shri Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, delivered the keynote address. The event was also graced by Shri Chandrakant Patil, Minister, Higher and Technical Education, Maharashtra; Secretary Higher Education, Government of India Shri K Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, School Education Shri Sanjay Kumar; Secretary, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari; Member, NCF Steering Committee, Prof. Manjul Bhargava, G20 delegates, officials from International Organisations, and several senior officials of the Ministry of Education and State Education Departments.
Shri Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, in his keynote address, shared how India’s G20 EdWG Presidency is focused on building and carrying forward deliberations in past presidencies and on addressing concerns which are impediment in realizing full transformational potential of education by bridging gaps in quality education and skilling, as well as on accelerating the pursuit of the SDGs.
He shed light on how our 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 stated that 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. The various surveys from across the globe suggest the challenge in education is the attainment of foundational literacy and numeracy. Attaining foundational literacy and numeracy 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 Grade 3), Shri Rajkumar Ranjan Singh added.
Speaking at the occasion, Shri Sanjay Kumar expressed how today’s seminar is expected to help identify appropriate policies and practices adopted by countries in G20 member countries and other invitee countries. He said that the ensuing panel discussions would focus on issues related to curriculum, pedagogical approaches, capacity building of teachers and other stakeholders and role of parents and other caregivers and community members in supporting learning at home. He also highlighted the concurrent exhibition on the theme of Ensuring Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, Digital Initiatives, Research and Skilling being showcased presently, which we will be visited between sessions by the delegates and other officials.
The event also featured a detailed presentation by the UNICEF, on Foundational Learning and Numeracy pertaining to the theme. This was followed by an insightful presentation on Foundational Learning and Numeracy Practices in G- 20 countries by Prof. Manjul Bhargava, who lauded the progress that has been made in FLN in the last 20 years, and the exponential increase in accessibility to education.
The seminar witnessed three distinct sessions today, with the first session featuring deliberations on the topic, Teaching Learning Approaches and Pedagogy for FLN in Blended Mode, chaired by Shri Sanjay Kumar. It included panelists from Spain, Australia, UAE, Indonesia and South Africa.
This was followed by the second session, on the Role of Parents, Caregivers and Community Members in supporting FLN (Home Learning), Socio-emotional Skills and Health & Nutrition of Children, chaired by Ms Aditi Das Rout, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, with USA and China delegates as panelists.
The third session focused on Capacity Building and Training of Teachers for FLN in the Context of Multilingualism, chaired by Smt Nidhi Chhibber, Chairperson, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The individuals on the panel included representatives from the United Kingdom, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Saudi Arabia, and UNICEF.
A multimedia exhibition is also organised, showcasing best practices in education, FLN, digital initiatives, research and skill development. Over 100 exhibitors, including UNICEF, NSDC, NCERT, National Book Trust, Indian Knowledge Systems Division (IKS) and startup initiatives will present their contributions. This exhibition will be open to local institutions, students, academicians and researchers from June 17 – 22, 2023, except on 19th June, 2023.
