To commemorate the birth anniversary of India’s first education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, every year National Education Day is celebrated on November 11.
Born on 11 November 1888, Maulana Azad was a key educationist who played an important role in developing the education system in independent India.
On 11 September 2008, Ministry of Human Resource Development decided to mark the birth anniversary of Maulana Azad by celebrating National Education Day on November 11, every year.
An academician and a freedom fighter, Azad was the first Education Minister of independent India. At that time, even though India was independent, it was reeling through the years of exploitation and the nation was suffering from widespread illeteracy.
Foundation for an educated India
As the Chairman of Central Advisory Board of Education, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad understood the fundamental role played by education in the development of the nation and gave impetus to Adult Education and Literacy. Along with laying emphasis on elementary education, he also propogated diversification of secondary education and vocational training.
Introduction of IITs, UGC and other universities
A visionary and freedom fighter, Azad was not only responsible for streamlining India’s education system but also foreseeing the start of the first ever Indian Institute of Technology, IIT in the country in 1951. He was also responsible for beginning Delhi’s Central Institute of Education, which later became the Education department in the Delhi University.
Azad was the primary propagator of Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and Faculty of Technology of Delhi University and was the founder of Jamila Milia Islamia University. He also set up the University Grants Commission in 1953.
He strongly advocated women’s education and free and compulsory primary education for children up to 14 years of age.
Promoting research in eastern learning and literature, he also set up three academies to develop the fine arts. He was also the one to start working on the compilation of technical terms in Hindi on a large scale.
Maulana Abul Kalam passed away on 22 February 1958.
