2016-11-11 Fri

Remembered popularly as Maulana Azad, was born today in 1888 with the name of Abul Kalam Muhiyuddin Ahmed Azad. He was an Indian scholar and the first education minister and in office from 15 August 1947 to 2 February 1958. National Education Day is annually observed today to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first education minister of independent India.

In his early life, he rose to prominence through his work as a journalist and publishing critical work on British Raj and espousing the causes of Indian nationalism. Azad became the leader of the Khilafat Movement, during which he came in contact with Mahatma Gandhi.

Azad became an enthusiastic supporter of Gandhi's ideas of non-violent civil disobedience, and also worked to organise the non-co-operation movement in protest of the 1919 Rowlett Acts. In 1923, at an age of 35, he became the youngest person to serve as the President of the Indian National Congress.

Azad emerged as one of the most important national leaders of the time, prominently leading the causes of Hindu-Muslim unity as well as espousing secularism and socialism. He served as Congress president from 1940 to 1945, during which the Quit India rebellion was launched. Azad was imprisoned, together with the entire Congress leadership, for three years.

He dedicated his life for religious harmony through the Al-Hilal newspaper. Azad, as India's Education Minister, oversaw the establishment of a national education system with free primary education and modern institutions of higher education.

He is also credited with the establishment of the Indian Institutes of Technology and the foundation of the University Grants Commission, an important institution to supervise and advance the higher education in the nation.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development, on September 11, 2008, to commemorate the birthday of this great Maulana Azad and his contribution to the cause of education in India. Henceforth, November 11 every year, from 2008 onwards, is celebrated as the National Education Day, without declaring it a holiday.

The objective of celebrating National Education Day should be to strengthen our educational institutions and to raise the quality of education to greater heights. It should be an occasion to remember Maulana Azad’s contribution in laying the foundations of the education system in an independent India as well as to evaluate our current performance in this field. So on this day, all people who are involved in the field of education should come together to seek ways to advance India’s prestige in the world, as a knowledge society and to focus on how to educate our people.

Postal services have issued various stamps of Maulana Azad. Commemorative stamp of 15 paisa were issued in 1966 on 11th November and on 11th November 1988 to celebrate his birth centenary 60 paisa stamps were issued with his portrait and MAULANA ABUL KALAM AZAD CENTENARY 1888 – 1988 printed below it. A definitive stamp was issued in October 2015 in the series makers of India. Commemorative coins of INR 5 and INR 20 were also issued to mark his 125th Birth anniversary.