National Education Day is annually celebrated on 11th November in India. This day commemorates the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad the first education minister of India.
Azad was independent India's first education minister and contributed significantly to laying the foundation of India's education system. To honor his efforts, the Ministry of Human Resource Development announced 11th November as 'National Education Day' in 2008.
We all know about the importance that education plays in the life of any individual and this fact is celebrated on this day and awareness regarding the importance of education for all is spread on this day in the country to make a more literate society for the betterment for the nation.
| Event | National Education Day |
|---|---|
| Date | November 11, 2022 |
| Day | Friday |
| Significance | The day commemorates the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad the first education minister of India. |
| Observed by | India |
National Education Day History:
In 2008, the Ministry of Human Resource Development in India announced the celebration of National Education Day to honor the significant contributions of Maulana Azad in the field of education in India. The day is also seen as an occasion to remember Abul Kalam's contribution in laying the foundations of the education system in an independent India and evaluating and improving the country's current performance in the field. Celebrating National Education Day is a tribute to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. As a pioneering thinker and intellectual, his role in the struggle for freedom is inspiring. He was passionate about the education sector and worked to promote social fraternity.
Azad was born on 11 November 1888 in Mecca, then a part of the Ottoman Empire, now a part of Saudi Arabia. His real name was Sayyid Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al Hussaini, but he eventually became known as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Azad's father was a Muslim scholar of Afghan ancestry, who lived in Delhi with his maternal grandfather, as his father had died at a very young age. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he left India and settled in Mecca. Later Azad returned to India when he with his family settled in the city of Calcutta.
Azad began his journalistic endeavours at an early age. In 1899 at the age of eleven he started publishing a poetical journal Nairang-e-Aalam at Calcutta and was already an editor of a weekly Al-Misbah in 1900. In 1908, he took a trip of Egypt, Syria, Turkey and France where he came into contact with several revolutionaries such as followers of Kamal Mustafa Pasha, members of Young Turk Movement and Iranian revolutionaries. Azad developed political views considered radical for most Muslims of the time and became a full-fledged Indian nationalist.
Then Maulana Azad worked as a freedom fighter and academician who realized that illiteracy was the primary hurdle in the way of development of a country and thus worked as a driving force towards its eradication. To achieve his vision, Maulana Azad established several institutions such as the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the University of Calcutta, and the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) and so on.
Among the many other contributions and achievements of Maulana Azad, the establishment of IITs or Indian Institute of Technology was a major one with the first IIT being inaugurated in 1951. IITs, in the present time, are regarded as epitome of excellence in technical education not only in India but across the globe. Hence, indeed it is befitting to credit India’s education system in the memory of this great leader by commemorating his birth anniversary every year as the National Education Day.
National Education Day Significance:
The National Education Day of India remembers the contributions of Maulana Azad in the field of education and his visions for the development of the nation. Maulana Azad is often termed as a key architect of independent India who set up many top education bodies like the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the University Grants Commission (UGC). Even, the first Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Kharagpur, was established by Azad himself. To honor the hard work and commitment of Azad for development of education system in India, National Education Day is celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm.
Today, India has a robust education system although there are some problems in terms of issues to education in terms of illiteracy and discrimination especially in the rural areas but the country is overall seeming to move in the right direction and the credit of laying the foundation of this system goes to some of the eminent personalities of the country. One such person was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad , the first Vice-President and the first Education Minister of India. The structure of Indian education saw many remarkable developments during the tenure of Maulana Azad's ministry from 1947 to 1958 and that's why his legacy must be celebrated.
Education is the backbone of a nation. Along with enhancing the development of students, education also enhances and supports nation building. There has been tremendous changes in the area of education in recent times. The introduction of new and emerging education systems has given rise to new learning opportunities for them. Further, there is extreme competition in the arena of education these days. Along with competition, the expenses of education, especially higher education has also risen over the years. Thus, to cope with the rising demands and expenses, most parents prefer to invest in various child education policies.
Among the necessities of life, it is important for each human being to be equipped with a minimum education atleast, which is integral for paving out a successful path in every domain of life as without any education it is very hard to build a good life for anyone with secure livelihood. With child labor and early marriages a continuing issue in some parts of India, a dedicated education day helps in spreading awareness on the importance of education, especially for girls which is very important for overall growth and development of the nation hence this issue can't be neglected at any cost.
National Education Day Celebrations:
On the occasion of National Education Day, campaigns and programmes are organized to spread awareness about importance of education for an individual and a nation as a whole. Many government programs and public speeches are organized so that it can reach the large number of people.
Schools, colleges and universities celebrate the day with symposia, seminars and competitions like essay-writing, elocution and workshops. Rallies with banner cards and slogans on the importance of literacy are also a common sight during National Education Day celebration.
On this day, students and teachers come together to share the importance of literacy and the country's commitment to all aspects of education. National Education Day pays homage to all the fundamental contributions made by Abul Kalam Azad to India's education system so he is often honoured on this day by several politicians and personalities putting a garland on his statues or photos.
National Education Day Theme:
National Education Day theme for the year in 2022 is "Changing Course, Transforming Education".
This theme calls for reforming the education system in India to make it more adaptable to the changing times. Every year, a different theme is set by the Ministry of Human Resource Development on Education Day so that special focus can be put on a particular subject or issue.
Most Searched FAQs on National Education Day:
1. When is National Education Day celebrated?
National Education Day is annually celebrated on 11th November in India.
2. Why is National Education Day celebrated on 11th November?
National Education Day is celebrated on 11th November because this date marks the birth anniversary of the first Minister of Education of independent India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
3. When was National Education Day established?
National Education Day was established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2008. Since then, 11th November has been celebrated as National Education Day in India every year.