Tag: National Education Day

National Education Day

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the nation’s first minister of education in independent India, is remembered on National Education Day. Azad was born on November 11, 1888.

 

How is National Education Day celebrated in India?

 

Numerous initiatives and programmes are held on this day to raise awareness of education. Educational institutions observe the day by hosting workshops, symposia, essay competitions, and elocution contests.

 

Who was Maulana Abul Azad Kalam?

 

Maulana Abul Kalam was a Congress Party leader, activist, and scholar. For eleven years, he was the minister of education. Azad served as the Khilafat Movement’s leader and assisted in organising the non-cooperation movement in 1919 as a liberation fighter. Azad adhered to the Gandhian way of thinking. Additionally, he presided over the Congress party from 1940 to 1945 and again in 1923 as its president. Maulana is the author of numerous novels, including Ghubar-e-Khatir and India Wins Freedom.

 

Contribution of Maulana Abul Kalam to India’s education

 

He contributed to the 1934 move of the university’s campus from Aligarh to New Delhi as one of the founding members of the Jamia Millia Islamia in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.

Maulana Abul Kalam, a fervent supporter of high-quality education, assisted in the founding of the University Grants Commission (UGC) on December 28, 1953. He is recognised with founding the Indian Institutes of Technology while serving as the minister of education (IIT). To advance education and culture in the nation, he also contributed to the founding of IISc, the School of Architecture and Planning, Sangeet Natak Akademi (1953), Sahitya Akademi (1954), and Lalit Kala Akademi (1954).

 

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) voted to designate November 11 of each year as National Education Day on September 11, 2008. Students from underrepresented groups can also apply for the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad National Fellowship, which provides financial support for M Phil and PhD studies.

 

What did Maulana Abul Kalam Azad think about education?

Because of his strong belief in education, Maulana saw schools as the incubators for the future’s brightest minds.

Even more so, he emphasised the importance of educating girls and the need for education for all women in our country in order to ensure their civic rights. He even introduced the kids to technical education and practical training.

Maulana had a strong passion for education and aspired to make India a country of brilliant brains and high educational standards. He placed a high value on education and worked to guarantee that a common national standard was followed nationwide.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad stated on January 16, 1948, “We must never forget that it is every person’s birthright to obtain at least the minimum education without which he cannot fully fulfill his duty as a citizen.”

Maulana went on to make primary education a free civic obligation for children up to the age of 14 after being appointed India’s first Minister of Education in 1947.

 

National Education Day!

 

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Education is highly sought after around the world. It often acts as the key to knowledge and wisdom in different areas of our lives. From four year old kids to adults, everyone is indulged in learning something at schools, colleges or even homes. Whether you like it or not, the sense of achievement one experiences as they clear an examination and witness their qualification add value to their name (Ashish Edwin LLB for example) is priceless. 

Today is regarded as National Education day in India on account of the birth anniversary of India’s first education minister named Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad. He served as the first education minister for an independent India. The National Education day has been observed every year on November 11th since 2008. 

Who was Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad?

Abdul Kalam Azad was an independence activist, writer and a senior member of the Indian national congress. After India became independent, he went on to become the first education minister of an independent India. He was fondly referred to as Maulana, a hororrary term meaning ‘Our master’. He took up Azad (free) as his pen name for his writings. 

His contribution to the educational foundation of India is remembered by celebrating National Education Day on his birth anniversary across India. 

A journalist

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At an early age, he began his career as a journalist by contributing to Urdu newspapers and magazines. He further went on to purchase a monthly journal, until its closure due to lack of resources. He also became an editor for a newspaper from Amritsar. 

A freedom fighter

Azad heavily criticised the British and Muslim politicians of his time. He opposed the British for discriminating and failing to provide for the needs of Indian civilians, and opposed the Muslim leaders as they focused on communal issues over common interests of the nation. Azad, alongside two others are accredited to the establishment of Jamia Millia Islamia Institution of higher education in Delhi. It was being run solely by Indians without any British involvement. 

His post independence career

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Azad initiated the construction of schools and colleges, and encouraged children and adults for enrollment to popularise formal education. Being India’s first minister of education, he encouraged educational privileges to be extended to the rural population and girls. He also laid emphasis on free and compulsory education for children till the age of 14. Azad addressed the All India Education conference on 16th January 1948 stating that, 

“ We must not for a moment forget, it is a birthright of every individual to receive at least the basic education without which he cannot fully discharge his duties as a citizen.” By Abdul Kalam Azad.

The first Indian Institute of Education (IIT) was established by the ministry of education in 1951 under his leadership. He also encouraged the development of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, alongside the faculty of technology in Delhi university. 

How is the National Education Day celebrated?

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Educational institutions across India celebrate this day by conducting seminars and workshops, holding essay writing and elocution competitions, and initiating rallies with banners and slogans that emphasises the importance of education, in remembrance of the honorable Abdul Kalam Azad’s emphasis on importance of education during his tenure as the education minister of India.