BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting to Be Held in Bhubaneswar

The 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting and the 3rd BRICS Senior Officials’ Meeting are scheduled in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, from 5 to 7 August 2026. India is holding the BRICS chairship for 2026 and is hosting the meetings through the Ministry of Education.

BRICS and its membership

BRICS is an intergovernmental grouping of eleven countries as of 2025. Its members are Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The grouping began as BRIC and later expanded to include South Africa and additional members.

Education cooperation in BRICS

The BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting is a ministerial-level forum for cooperation in education and skill development. The 2026 meeting will discuss Early Childhood Care and Education, collaborative research, innovation, start-ups, Mutual Recognition of Qualifications, and academic leadership capacity building. The BRICS TVET Cooperation Alliance is one of the institutional mechanisms linked with technical and vocational education and training.

India’s chairship and meeting schedule

India’s BRICS chairship for 2026 follows the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi will participate in the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting. More than 200 delegates, including education ministers from eight BRICS member countries and around 40 senior officials, are expected at Hotel Mayfair Lagoon.

Important Facts for Exams

• BRICS is a multilateral grouping of eleven countries as of 2025.
• India is the BRICS chair for 2026.
• TVET stands for Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
• Mutual Recognition of Qualifications is used in international education cooperation.

Preparatory meetings in 2026

The 1st and 2nd BRICS Senior Officials’ Meetings were held on 7 April 2026 and 28 April 2026. The BRICS Network University Conference and International Governing Board Meeting were held on 20 and 21 July 2026. A preparatory meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg was held on 31 July 2026 for logistics, protocol, security, transport, and medical arrangements.