New Delhi: 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.
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), Rajkumar Ranjan Singh added.
Speaking at the occasion, 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.
