National Education Day
National Education Day is observed on 11th November every
year to commemorate the birth anniversary of Shri Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the
first education minister of independent India. Maulana Abul Kalam
Muhiyuddin Ahmed (11 November 1888 – 22 February 1958) was one of the foremost
leaders of the Indian freedom struggle. He was also a great scholar and poet.
He was appointed as independent India's first Minister for Education (1947 to 1958)
and inducted in the Constituent Assembly to draft India's Constitution.
Under
Maulana Azad's tenure, a number of measures were undertaken to promote primary
and secondary education, scientific education, the establishment of
universities and the promotion of avenues of research and higher studies. The
Maulana established many institutions such as the Sahitya Akademi, the Sangeet
Natak Akademi, the Lalit Kala Akademi, and the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations, and also provided a major stimulus for the setting up of the Indian
Institutes of Technology.
His work
for education and social upliftment in India made him an important influence in
guiding India's economic and social development. For his invaluable
contribution to the nation, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was posthumously awarded
India's highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, in 1992.