3rd G20 Education Working Group meeting to be held in Bhubaneswar

The 3rd G20 Education Working Group (EWG) meeting will be held in Bhubaneswar from April 27th to 28th, 2023. The events leading up to the G20 Education Working Group Meetings will occur from April 23rd to 26th of 2023.

Shri K. Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, Higher Education; Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE); and Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, held a curtain raiser press conference on the upcoming 3rd G20 Education Working Group meeting and precursory events in Bhubaneswar on April 17th 2023.

A special exhibition titled “Future of Work” will be organized and open to the public from April 23rd to 25^th, 2023 and again on April 27^th to 28^th, 2023.

G20 delegates would attend these meetings. The Education Working Group’s programs, theme selection, and assuring reach to the country’s youth are guided by the vision and supervision of Union Minister for Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan. In Odisha, where the theme is “Future of Work,” the activities are based on the vision that there should be thorough discussions and effective outreach on the emerging skilling requirements and the need for continuous skilling, reskilling, and up-skilling as relevant to the district in every district.

While addressing the media, Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari stated, “Ground-breaking developments and digitization are causing a fundamental shift in work. This move offers immense economic potential, enhances productivity gains, and stimulates growth.”

“The G20 countries also undergo this dynamic evolution in various sectors. The most effective way to prepare the youth is to provide them with the necessary skills, speed, and agility. We look forward to the upcoming 3rd meeting of the G20 Education Working Group in Bhubaneshwar to embrace this shift and find solutions to the most critical challenges concerning the future of work.

The precursor events and an exhibition, bringing experts, stakeholders, and thought leaders together, will help to explore a coordinated approach to prioritize reforms, re-imagine learning, redefine talent, and at the same time create frameworks for preparing social, political, and business leaders for the future of work,” he added.

Shri Sanjay Kumar discussed integrating skills into the school curriculum while providing students with various future skills to get them started on a path of lifelong learning. During the workshop on the future of work between India and Singapore on April 25th of the Working Group conference, he provided information about the breakout session on “integration of skills in the school curriculum.” He said, “The discussions will also be organized on ‘equipping children with a range of future skills’ to set them on a course of lifelong learning.” The Secretary further stated that exposure to skill education beginning in class 6 would be provided, as proposed by NEP 2020. It will be optional for classes 9 and 10, while for classes 11 and 12, it is mandatory.

At the conference, it was announced that the state of Odisha has begun a month-long series of events on April 1st, 2023, also known as “Utkal Dibasa” or “Odisha Day,” in response to the Prime Minister’s demand to make “Jan Bhagidari” an essential aspect of India’s G20 Presidency. The Jan Bhagidari events, including quiz contests, essay competitions, declamation contests, and Yuva Samvad, have attracted 86,000 people.

Seminars on a variety of themes connected to the Future of Work have been held, including workshops on the use of drones in agriculture, the future of robotics, the impact of climate change on livestock productivity, the future of chemical engineering, the decarbonization of aluminium production, and moving towards net zero. These events are attended by students from schools, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), Polytechnics, colleges, engineering colleges, National Skill Training Institues (NSTIs), and Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) beneficiaries. These programs were for women and youths. Events like these are being organized all around the state with assistance from G20 Engagement Groups like Start Up 20, B20, Etc.

Various institutions, including Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar, Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Sambalpur, Central University, NIT, IMMT Bhubaneswar, and Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, are working together to organize precursor events. Deloitte, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) are industry connects for the various events. During this weeklong discussion, the emphasis will be on fostering international collaboration and support in developing a Framework for the Future of Work.

The structure of these events is as follows:

• Month-long ‘Jan Bhagidari’ events already commencedon April 1st
• Conference on Deep Tech with a focus on advanced technology in Future of Work on April 23rd
• Conference on Transforming Logistics for coastal economies with a focus on sustainability on April 24th
• |Workshop on Future of Work: Skill Architecture and Governance Models of India and Singapore on April 25th
• Seminar on Building Capacities for lifelong learning, in the context of the Future of Work on April 26th
• Future of Work exhibition from April 23-25 & April 27-28
• 3rd G20 Education Working Group meeting from April 27th to April 28th

The Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership and Siksha Anusandhan (SOA) are working together to host a mock G20 on April 21st, 2023. The Mock G20 will be organized around the theme of “Future of Work: Industry 4.0, Innovation, and 21st Century Skills” and will follow the format of “4 Delegates per team x 20 Countries (Total 80 Students) plus 20 Students Representing International Organisations (IOs), Multilateral Institutions, and Invitee Countries.”

The 3rd G20 Education Working Group meeting will accompany a 6-day exhibition on the “Future of Work” theme at the CSIR-IIMT Grounds from April 23rd through April 28th, 2023, except April 26th. To offer a glimpse into the “future of work,” a 34,000-square-foot exhibition space with more than 100 stalls has been set up. The exhibition includes representation from industry, academia, civil society, government, and others. It focuses on different aspects of the ‘future of work’ converging into the basic concept of how we perceive ‘Work—worker and Workforce’ through the lens of emerging technologies at an unprecedented, accelerated pace.

The exhibition, anticipated to draw 50 thousand visitors, will feature experience zones to showcase live demonstrations and immersive experiences using interactive walls, holographic displays, AR/VR solutions, 3-D printing, assistive technologies, and more. These zones will focus on the future of manufacturing, the future of governance, the future of learning, and inclusive growth, among other topics.

In the Deep Tech seminar, there will be a panel discussion on the following topics: 

• India’s prospects in the global semiconductor ecosystem,
• The World of Digitalization, focusing on automation, deep Tech, the future of digital-first, Etc.
• Deep tech-focused new-age startups. Top industry, government, and academia leaders will participate in this session.
  

Seminar on Transforming Logistics for coastal economies with a focus on sustainability will have panel discussions on 

• Enabling infrastructure for the future focusing on themes like PM Gati Shakti, Sagarmala, Etc
• Challenges posed by climate change focusing on coastal infrastructure, rising sea levels, Etc.

Workshop on Future of Work: Skill Architecture and Governance Models of India and Singapore focuses on three-panel discussions 

• Integration of skills in School Education Curriculum
• Agile and resilient Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) ecosystem for creating a future-ready workforce
• Lifelong learning and skill recognition in the future of work. A structured Student-Industry-Academia discussion session has been planned.

The key learnings from India and Singapore will be deliberated, and an action plan will be developed for the three focus areas.

Also read: Madhya Pradesh government to employ nearly 60,000 teachers by the end of 2023 https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/madhya-pradesh-government-to-employ-nearly-60000-teachers-by-the-end-of-2023/

Because Odisha has a sizable tribal population, a particular emphasis will be placed on Odisha’s Tribes, and their products will be featured at various events and programs. As 2023 is the International Year of Millets, a food festival will be held to introduce the G20 participants and delegates to traditional Indian cuisine.