PUNE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said G20 countries can undertake skill mapping at the global level, find gaps that need to be plugged and play a key role in promoting research and innovation. Virtually addressing the G20 Education Ministers’ meeting here, PM Modi stressed the need to strike the right balance between opportunities offered by technology and the challenges posed by it.
“In India, we are undertaking skill-mapping. Our education, skill and labour ministries are working in tandem on this initiative. G20 countries can undertake skill-mapping at the global level, and find gaps that need to be plugged,” he said.
Digital technology serves as an equaliser and promotes inclusivity, he said, adding that it is a force multiplier in increasing access to education. “Today artificial intelligence offers great potential in the field of learning, skilling and education, with opportunities, technology also poses challenges. We have to strike the right balance. G20 can play an important role in this,” Modi said.
He also said that G20 countries can play a key role in promoting research and innovation, especially among the global south. “I urge you all to create a path for increased research collaborations. This meeting holds immense significance for the future of our children and youth,” he further said.
Modi said the objective must be to provide quality education with better governance. “To make our youth future-ready, we need to continuously skill, re-skill and up-skill them.” Laying emphasis on research and innovation, Prime Minister Modi highlighted that India has set up ten thousand ‘Atal Tinkering Labs’ across the country which act as research and innovation nurseries for school children. He said that more than 7.5 million students are working on more than 1.2 million innovative projects in these labs.
“I am glad that the group has identified transition, digital transformation and women empowerment as accelerators for achieving sustainable development goals. Education is at the root of all these efforts. I am confident that the group will come out with an inclusive, action-oriented and future-ready education agenda,” the Prime Minister added.
UNANIMOUS VIEW On education
G20 members agreed on five major areas, including capacity building of teachers