National Education Day – November 11th

• National Education Day is celebrated every year on November 11 across India to mark the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad who was the first education minister of independent India.
• The National Education Day 2023 theme is “Embracing Innovation.”

ABOUT MAULANA AZAD

• Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al-Hussaini Azad was born on November 18, 1888.
• He was a freedom fighter, educationist, scholar and senior leader of the Indian National Congress.
• Also called Maulana Azad, he was a key architect of Independent India.
• He was responsible for setting up the top education bodies including the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the University Grants Commission (UGC).
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad also established the first Indian Institute of Technology – IIT Kharagpur.
• The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Sahitya Academy, Lalit Kala Academy, Sangeet Natak Academy and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) were also set up under his guidance.
• He served as the education minister from August 15, 1947 to February 2, 1958 and passed away in Delhi on February 22, 1958.
• The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) had announced on September 11, 2008 about observing the day as National Education Day across the country.
• Maulana Azad was posthumously awarded India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna in 1992.