Experts Assess How BRICS Countries’ Education Systems Are Evolving

© HSE University

The BRICS Expert Council–Russia, based at HSE University and operating in collaboration with the HSE Institute of Education, has released an analytical report titled ‘The Transformation of General Education in BRICS Countries.’ The study explores how BRICS nations are addressing shared challenges, including equitable access to schooling, digital integration, support for inclusion, linguistic diversity, and intercultural dialogue.

Education is recognised as a key driver of sustainable development, social equity, and technological progress. In the context of global transformation, education is increasingly seen as a tool for shaping the future. It is therefore vital to understand how national education systems are being shaped in countries with different historical and cultural backgrounds, yet comparable scale and aspirations. This is particularly relevant for the BRICS group—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—whose influence on the global education agenda continues to grow.

The report, prepared jointly by the BRICS Expert Council–Russia and the HSE Institute of Education, reveals how BRICS countries are taking distinct approaches to common challenges—from equalising access to school education and integrating digital technologies to addressing teacher shortages and promoting inclusion, linguistic diversity, and intercultural dialogue. It also touches on the sustainability of educational infrastructure and the evolving role of schools in fostering social cohesion.

Special attention is paid to how each country defines its strategic priorities without simply replicating external models. For example, India seeks a balance between modern labour market demands and the traditions of Vedic knowledge. South Africa’s education policy aims to overcome the legacy of segregation; meanwhile, Brazil focuses on embracing diversity as a core value. China and Russia concentrate on improving the quality and accessibility of education in remote areas.

The report underscores that BRICS education systems are advancing not in spite of their differences, but because of them. Diversity is seen not as a barrier but as a driver of growth—a foundation for developing flexible, resilient, and equitable models of education. This experience can offer valuable insights not only to BRICS members, but also to a wide range of countries seeking to rethink their approaches to schooling in light of social, cultural, and institutional realities.

© HSE University

BRICS education systems collectively account for roughly one-third of the global educational landscape. The accompanying infographic presents the scale and structure of school education in BRICS countries. The visual material is descriptive rather than comparative, focusing on two key dimensions:

1. The socio-economic and demographic context of each country

2. The structure of their national education systems

The presented data highlights both the diversity within the BRICS education systems and the common foundations that allow for experience sharing and idea exchange. This, in turn, helps address the mutual challenges these countries face in reforming school education.

Victoria Panova

‘The report explores the unique characteristics of the BRICS education systems,’ noted Victoria Panova, HSE Vice Rector, Head of the BRICS Expert Council–Russia. ‘Comprehensive, in-depth studies like this help us find solutions to pressing issues, promote knowledge exchange, and develop partnerships in the field of education. It is in this sphere that the diversity of BRICS countries becomes a major competitive advantage. BRICS has the potential to consolidate pioneering ideas, policy approaches, and educational experience from countries that together represent the global majority.’

Ivan Ivanov

‘This report is the first international study on the state and development of general education systems across the BRICS countries,’ explained Ivan Ivanov, Director of the Pinsky Centre of General and Extracurricular Education. ‘It emphasises the need for education policy to be adapted to local contexts while also supporting the advancement of inclusive schooling. BRICS countries play a vital role in global education and share key characteristics shaped by their distinct socio-economic and cultural conditions.’

Liesel Ebersöhn

‘Involving scholars from across the BRICS nations was key to the success of this study,’ said Liesel Ebersöhn, Director of the Centre for the Study of Resilience at the University of Pretoria. ‘The report offers compelling evidence that each country can respond to major global trends in ways that ensure positive learning and wellbeing. The contextual and cultural perspectives presented in the report demonstrate how meaningful educational practices can be developed in similar emerging economies, as well as in low- and middle-income countries.’

Vandana Saxena

‘Diversity is a defining feature of BRICS countries,’ stated Vandana Saxena, Professor at the University of Delhi (India). ‘This is reflected in national education policies and systemic efforts to expand opportunities for all citizens. Major challenges for education systems—and at the same time sources of potential—include territorial diversity, uneven population distribution, rural–urban disparities, and cultural traditions. Yet, as this study shows, governments and education systems in each BRICS country recognise the transformative power of education and are actively working to improve quality, while critically engaging with the need to support linguistic, ethnic, and religious diversity, and their intersections with gender, class, and disability.’