On 17 October 2018, the seventh meeting of education ministers of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held in Astana, the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The meeting was organised with the assistance of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Rector's Office of the University of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, (USCO) and the main (basic) universities of the Republic of Kazakhstan, affiliated with USCO.
Participants in the meeting included: State Minister of Human Resource Development of the Republic of India Satyapal Singh; Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerlan Sagadiyev; Deputy Minister of Education of the People's Republic of China Lin Hueijing; Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic Kudaiberdi Kozhobekov; Executive Director of the Higher Education Commission of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Arshad Ali; Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Marina Borovskaya; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Republic of Kazakhstan Nazirmad Alizoda and Deputy Minister of Higher and Secondary Vocational Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan Uzokboy Begimkulov.
SCO Deputy Secretary-General Aziz Nosirov also took part in the meeting.
Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerlan Sagadiyev chaired the event.
During the meeting, the heads of delegations focused on ensuring the implementation of the agreements reached in June 2018 at the Qingdao SCO Heads of State Council summit, with the aim of further expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation as regards exchanges of lecturers and students, joint research projects, academic visits, language studies, professional education and youth exchanges.
They underscored the significance of the joint appeal to young people by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's heads of state and voiced their readiness to conduct the relevant work for implementing the action programme to fulfil the provisions of the joint appeal to young people, approved by a resolution of the SCO Heads of State Council.
The issue of developing and modernising the national education systems of SCO member states was discussed, as well as priority areas of cooperation for 2019 and 2020.
The officials deemed it appropriate to expand the exchange of information on measures to modernise national education systems, via inter-ministry and inter-university cooperation, as well as during rectors' forums, academic conferences and symposiums involving the teaching staff and students.
They noted that during 2017 and 2018, a set of measures to fulfil the 15 June 2006 agreement on cooperation in education between the governments of SCO member states had been implemented successfully.
The heads of delegations approved a set of measures to implement the 15 June 2006 agreement on cooperation in education between the governments of SCO member states throughout 2019 and 2020.
Meeting participants agreed to steadily and consistently implement the agreement between the governments of SCO member states on establishing and operating the University of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
The parties noted that the USCO was effectively implementing joint MA educational programmes in seven areas, including regional studies, ecology, energy, IT, nanotechnologies, pedagogy and economics. These programmes also contribute to the development of joint BA and postgraduate (Ph.D.) studies.
The heads of delegations acknowledged the importance of drafting documents on creating the title of honourary SCO education worker to motivate educators, encourage them in the pursuit of excellence, improve their professionalism and facilitate the timely, high-quality and conscientious fulfilment of their official duties.
They approved the fundamental report to education ministers of SCO member states as regards the status of and prospects for streamlining secondary vocational education in the SCO region. The sides discussed issues of modernising secondary vocational education, with due consideration for the industrial and innovative development of the SCO space.
At the meeting, the SCO Secretary-General's initiative to establish the SCO Youth League at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing was approved. There was also support for the idea of establishing similar SCO youth leagues in other SCO member states for the purpose of creating a common platform for rallying, dialogue and exchanges among young specialists and students at SCO countries' universities, as well as for enhancing the role of young people in the development of their respective countries, the region and the SCO in general.
The heads of delegations commended the SCO Secretariat's efforts to hold the SCO Model interactive games and the 21st Century Leader competition. They welcomed the SCO Secretariat's proposal to hold the assembly of representatives of SCO countries' young people, SCO Young People against Terrorism and Extremism, in Dongfeng (8-12 November 2018).
They called for the launch of a competition among students in SCO member states for the best research paper about the Organisation.
The sides voiced their readiness to hold the 12th Education Without Borders education week on 22-23 November 2018 in Dushanbe and supported the idea of holding the 13th Education Without Borders education week in 2019 in the Kyrgyz Republic.
They agreed to hold the eighth meeting of education ministers of SCO member states in the Russian Federation during the Russian Federation's presidency of the SCO.
The meeting's participants thanked the Kazakhstani side for its hospitality and efficiency in organising and holding the seventh meeting of education ministers of SCO member states.