Education is the gear that can push society forward and upwards. Indian democracy is seven decades old, and now is the ultimate time to evaluate our standing in the education space. The lever was pulled way back by our first education minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad; we have to just keep it rowing in the same direction. Today, the nation is celebrating ‘National Education Day’ to commemorate our first education minister on the day of his birth anniversary.
“Education imparted by heart can bring revolution in society” a very acclaimed saying of Maulana Azad still echoes in every educator’s ear as they begin their journey as educators or preachers. Maulana Azad laid the foundation stone of many eminent academic institutions including University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Secondary Education Commission and others. Reputed institutions like IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Kharagpur, Jamia Milia Islamia were also established during his tenure.
Educators today are walking on the pathways shown by Azad in the initial years of post-independence. He was very sure in imparting his vision of education for all. He even ensured that every child should receive a free education before the age of 14. His special focus was education for girl child, adult literacy, universal primary education, and a standarised secondary education for all.
To celebrate his immense achievements and to remember his thoughts on the education landscape, India started to celebrate 11 November as ‘National Education Day’ from 2008. The first National Education Day was inaugurated by then President Pratibha Patil on 11 November 2008 at Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi. The nation is energised with the new enthusiasm posed by our New Education Policy and we can only go towards an upward curve with this new enrichment in the education sector.
We owe our utmost regard to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and his endless life achievements!
