G20 Education Ministers Meeting
June 22nd, 2021
The G20 Education Ministers Meeting was held today in Catania.
The G20 Ministers who attended the meeting, in presence and videoconference, reiterated the importance of putting education at the centre of the international political agenda, as a strategic response to the global crisis generated by the health emergency, and of taking initiatives to ensure inclusive education for all by promoting gender equality and combating all forms of discrimination.
In the final statement, Ministers stressed their commitment to “leave no one behind.” Regarding the educational poverty, exacerbated by the pandemic, the G20 countries aim at promoting the adoption of preventive measures, i.e. actions that address the roots of the problem of exclusion, targeted interventions aimed at students’ needs and compensatory actions, such as the offer of different opportunities to those who have left school or suffered significant learning losses. In the belief that ensuring equal access at all levels and all types of training throughout life is crucial because education is one of the cornerstones of sustainable growth.
Looking at the months of the health crisis, the G20 Education Ministers underlined the irreplaceable role of teaching in presence, while recognizing the important contribution of technologies to teaching continuity during the pandemic.
In the afternoon, the Ministers of Education and Labour also met in a joint session to address the transition from education to work, a central issue for a sustainable and inclusive economic and social recovery. In particular, the G20 countries underlined the need of actions to promote gender equality and inclusion of the most vulnerable young groups, to ensure equal access to quality and decent work for all.
Two documents were adopted at the end of the meetings: