Every year on November 11 National Education Day is celebrated in memory of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. National Education Day is celebrated on November 11 since 2008.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad or Maulana Sayyid Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al-Hussaini Azad was born on November 11, 1888. He has donned many hats in his public life as he is remembered as a poet, a scholar, and a freedom fighter whose biggest contribution still remains the gift of education.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development announced on September 11, 2008, "The Ministry has decided to commemorate the birthday of this great son of India by recalling his contribution to the cause of education in India. November 11 from 2008 onwards, will be celebrated as the National Education Day, without declaring it a holiday, every year."
Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad was the first education minister of independent India. He served the nation from August 15, 1947, to February 2, 1958.
In 1920, Azad was invited and elected as a member of the foundation committee of Jamia Millia Islamia at Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. In 1934 he assisted in the shifting of the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia to New Delhi.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad is considered as the driving force behind the IIT’s and several key institutes of India. The Ministry of Human Resource Development decided in 2008 that the day November 11 will be celebrated as National Education Day every year.
Every educational institute in India remembers Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and his contributions as India’s first education minister. Various programmes and campaigns are organized to spread awareness about the importance of education and making every person literate.
