Tehran: Iran and South Africa have agreed to expand academic and scientific cooperation, including faculty and student exchanges, research projects, and study opportunities, as part of efforts to strengthen educational collaboration within BRICS. According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the agreement was reached during a meeting between Masoud Shams-Bakhsh, deputy minister of science, research and technology, and Nomusa Dube-Ncube, South Africa's deputy minister of higher education and training, on the sidelines of the 13th BRICS Education Ministers Meeting in Bhubaneswar, India. Dube-Ncube outlined South Africa's educational and research capacities and expressed interest in joint research projects, postgraduate faculty and student exchanges, study opportunities, and short-term training courses with Iranian universities. Shams-Bakhsh praised South Africa's role as a founding BRICS member and said Iran was eager to benefit from its experience in developing the group's institutional frameworks for educatio nal cooperation. The officials also discussed Iran's participation in the BRICS Education Working Group, mutual recognition of academic qualifications, and the drafting of a joint cooperation document covering strategic areas.