“National Education Day 2024: Celebrating Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s Legacy on November 11”
India observes National Education Day each year on November 11 to honor Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the country’s first education minister and a key architect of independent India. Known for his visionary leadership, Azad played a crucial role in establishing foundational institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Azad’s legacy as a scholar, freedom fighter, and educationist endures, with his efforts extending beyond the freedom struggle to focus on shaping modern India’s education system. Elected to the foundation committee for Jamia Millia Islamia in 1920, he was instrumental in moving the university to New Delhi in 1934, where the main gate now bears his name.
As education minister, Azad prioritized expanding educational opportunities for rural communities and girls, promoting adult literacy, ensuring free and compulsory education for children up to age 14, and diversifying secondary education with vocational training. His commitment to building a secular, unified, and educated India continues to influence the nation’s development today.
