Ministers' meeting on Education
Scheduled to take place in Trieste from June 27 to 29, 2024.
24/06/2024
The meeting, scheduled to take place in Trieste from June 27 to 29, 2024, chaired by the Minister of Education and Merit Giuseppe Valditara, is grounded in a vision that places school at the heart of growth and shared development, and focuses on the need to bolster cooperation in order to innovate education systems, ensuring that young generations can acquire the necessary competencies for future labour markets and, more broadly, to support the economic and social development of G7 nations. This requires, above all, promoting talents by addressing the specific needs of each student, and ensuring that no one is left behind, including those with disabilities.
In addition to the Education Ministers of G7 nations, the European Commissioner for Education, the leaders of the African Union, the representatives of major international organisations (OECD, UNESCO, UNICEF), and the Global Partnership for Education, the meeting will also welcome the participation of the Ukrainian Education Minister, and the Education Minister of Brazil, that currently holds the G20 Presidency. The arrival of 17 Heads of Delegation, comprising over 100 participants, underscores Italy’s commitment to multilateral engagement and marks an important milestone in fostering cooperation in the education sector, not only among G7 Member States but also with other countries, starting with the African countries.
The meeting’s agenda will focus on two priorities. The first session is centred on “Unlocking the full potential of every individual”, aimed at deepening national and international initiatives and identifying policies to promote fundamental competencies and support all students in reaching their full potential, even through more personalised learning approaches. This aims to combat early school dropout.
The Second Session will focus on the priority of supporting innovative education, capable of reducing the gap between labour market demand and supply of competencies, by fostering the acquisition of a broad range of knowledge and competencies, including those necessary to address the green and digital transitions. This session will also provide an opportunity to discuss international educational cooperation, including cooperation with African countries, by supporting the establishment of stronger partnerships between educational institutions (including Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions) and the private sector, to facilitate student and teacher exchanges, and the educational and occupational mobility for young people with specialised competencies.
As stated by Minister Valditara, the meeting will not be a G7 of mere statements of principle but must also provide concrete policy solutions to support the improvement of educational systems. The solutions will be collected in a Final Report and a Final Declaration, which the Ministers will adopt on June 29. The main challenges to be addressed are two: talents and competencies, on which Italy has already initiated reforms.
In parallel with the G7 meeting, the Ministry of Education and Merit has promoted an innovative, educational, and training initiative entirely dedicated to young people, called “YoungG7 for Education”, which will be held from June 26 to June 30 in Lignano Sabbiadoro. At the end of the works, the participants will submit their findings and proposals to the Minister for the G7 Education.