Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was independent India’s first education minister, and his birthday, 11 November, is celebrated as National Education Day.
New Delhi: Educationist, freedom fighter, politician and journalist — Maulana Abul Kalam Azad donned many hats in his more than four-decade-long public life. An intellectual par excellence, he left behind a lasting legacy in the field of India’s education.
Born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 1888, his family relocated to Calcutta (now Kolkata) two years after his birth. Education was at the heart of Abul Kalam’s growing up. At home, he studied a variety of languages such as Persian, Urdu and Arabic, and subjects such as history, philosophy and geometry.
It was only fitting that he would later serve as independent India’s first education minister, and establish institutions such as the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi. In 1992, he was posthumously conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.
His birthday, 11 November, is celebrated as National Education Day.
Speaking truth to power
In 1912, Azad started publishing a weekly called Al-Hilal which he used as a weapon to attack and question British policies. The publication gained immense popularity among the masses, so much so that the British finally banned it in 1914.
Undeterred by this move, Azad soon started another weekly, Al-Balagh, which ran until he was externed under Defence of India Regulations in 1916. The governments of Bombay, Punjab, Delhi, and United Provinces had banned his entry and he was deported to Bihar until 1920.
Despite censoring, he found ways to rebel against British activities through the power of his pen.
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Independence struggle
After his release, Azad, already inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-cooperation to fight the British, started leading the Khilafat Movement, launched by Indian Muslims to demand that the British preserve the authority of the ‘Ottoman Sultan as Caliph of Islam after World War I’.
At 35, Azad rose to prominence as a Congress leader — he became the youngest party leader in 1923. In 1942, he along with the rest of the leadership was arrested and put in jail for four years for participating in the Quit India movement. Later, ‘Maulana’, as Azad was fondly referred to, would head constituent assembly debates which went on to shape many of our policies, particularly those related to education. He believed that India as a nation should aspire for high educational standards and never compromise on that count.
A strong voice against communal politics
Azad was a strong believer in the co-existence of all religious communities. His visits to countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Turkey shaped his worldview and his approach towards secular politics. He was deeply affected by the violence witnessed during India’s Partition. Azad travelled through the violence-affected regions of Bengal, Assam and Punjab and contributed in establishing the refugee camps and ensured supply of food and other basic resources.
Contribution to Constitution
The 7th schedule of the Constitution lists subjects on which the central and state governments can enact legislation. Under British India, education had been listed as a subject, for which only provinces could enact legislation. Maulana Azad was strongly against leaving education to the states.
He argued that education was a matter of grave importance and the central government should be given this authority in order to ensure a uniform national standard of education across the country.
While his stance was supported by Jawaharlal Nehru and other key members of the constituent assembly, a few felt this was a bad idea given the diversity of our country. They were of the view that a decentralised approach would enable states to make laws pertaining to education in their respective states. Ultimately, the issue was resolved by retaining education in the state list but also including entries related to higher education under the union list.
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At all times, education remained an important issue for Azad. Speaking at a meeting on 16 January 1948, Azad had said, “We must not for a moment forget, it is a birthright of every individual to receive at least the basic education without which he cannot fully discharge his duties as a citizen.”
He also established ‘the board for adult education’ to facilitate education among the uneducated adults.
Shaping the path ahead
As first education minister of the country from 1947 to 1958, he advocated for free and compulsory primary education for all children up to the age of 14 as he believed it was the right of all citizens. Later, he went on to establish the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi and contributed to the setting up of the IITs. He was also one of the the brains behind the University Grants Commission, India’s higher education regulator, and played a key role in the establishment of other educational institutions.
The scholar-politician passed away on 22 February 1958.
First education minister !!??
Ques :- What are his educational qualifications ?
And :- Madarsachaap
Very sorry to read above comments on Maulana. It seems these people are in their dream that their fore father had eaten 100 tin(150kg) ghee so their hand are still smelling.Forget about birth place and qualification of leader, see his actions and thought. There are many examples who have became president of India, HRD minister of India, and without any sports knowledge they were and are chairmen of that sport organization.So friends we should respect our all freedom fighters.
He was the most dangerous Agent of Gazwa e Hind,a Zehaadi,anti national.Its a tragedy of monstrous proportions that successive generations are being misguided right at the most impressionable stage of schooling itself.
Maulana ……. ………. …….. …….. Azad, a saudi Arabian born in Mecca had no formal education. His only qualification deserving to be the first education minister of independent India.was that he was close to Gandhi and a muslim. What a shame on India which had such a glorious and cultural tradition running.thousands of years.
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Who are u to speak about this
This Print funded by jihadis it seems. Idiots.h They do not know Indias excellence in science, technology,astronomy,medicine thousands of years back when other part of World including Arabs moved without robes. Idiotic article full of lies.
May be he teaches education to you and your forefathers…but not mine. We Hindus are very well educated from day one about our culture and moral values, science and technology. Scientists like Aryabhatta are a example of that. May be it is possible that the print journalists gain their education from this Maulana… That’s why they write shitty posts like this to please their masters
We should not insult the glorious past of Bharat. To say that Maulana Azad was
“The man who made India realise the value of education” is preposterous . Only a highly prejudiced person , totally ignorant of the glorious past of India can say this. Indian tradition gave education, Vidya , the highest importance. There are large number of shlokas and texts which extol the virtues of education in beautiful ways . This sublime tradition gave rise to the establishment of highly renowned Universities like Taxsila, Vikramshila, and Nalanda. It was during the dark age in Indian history beginning from the invasion of savage Muslim invaders ( Bakhtiyar Khilji burnt down the Great Nalanda University ) that the ruin of education began.
To say that Maulana Azad was
“The man who made India realise the value of education” is preposterous . Only a highly prejudiced person , totally ignorant of the glorious past of India can say this. Indian tradition gave education, Vidya , the highest importance. There are large number of shlokas and texts which extol the virtues of education in beautiful ways . This sublime tradition gave rise to the establishment of highly renowned Universities like Taxsila, Vikramshila, and Nalanda. It was during the dark age in Indian history beginning from the invasion of savage Muslim invaders ( Bakhtiyar Khilji burnt down the Great Nalanda University ) that the ruin of education began.