National Education Day is annually observed across India on 11th November to celebrate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first education minister of independent India.
- The day commemorates the contributions of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad towards education.
- The day also aims to highlight the importance of education.
11th November 2022 marks the 134th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Awardee Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, he was born on 11th November 1888 in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Background:
i.Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education) declared the 11th of November of every year as National Education Day.
ii.The first-ever National Education Day was observed on 11th November 2008.
Significance of National Education Day:
The Government of India is committed to securing the future of the nation by focusing on building a strong and effective education infrastructure catering to the holistic development of students and youth.
About Maulana Abul Kalam Azad:
i.Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was born in Mecca in 1888 and settled in Calcutta (now Kolkata, West Bengal), India in 1890.
ii.In 1920, He was elected as a member of the foundation committee to establish Jamia Millia Islamia at Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. He also assisted in shifting the campus from Aligarh to New Delhi in 1934.
- The main gate (Gate No. 7) to the main campus of the university is named after Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
iii.Maulana Abul Kalam Azad served as the first Education Minister in the cabinet led by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru from 1947 to 1958.
iv.He played a major role in the establishment of Indian Institutes of Technology(IITs) and many key institutes in India such as the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and Secondary Education Commission.
v.He was also responsible for the establishment of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Sahitya Academy, Lalit Kala Academy, Sangeet Natak Academy and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
vi.He died of a stroke on 2nd February 1958. He was posthumously awarded India’s highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna in 1992.
