National Education Day 2024: Theme, Significance, History and Celebration

In India, National Education Day is observed on 11th of November by people all over the nation. The day commemorates the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first education minister of India after independence. Azad served as the education minister from 15 August 1947 to 2 February 1958 and made many significant contributions towards development of education in the country.

National Education Day also honors the important contribution of Maulana Azad in laying the foundations of the education system in an independent India. Azad also played a major role in evaluating and improving the performance of the country in the field of education. This article provides important details related to National Education Day 2023.

National Education Day 2024 Date

Here is the schedule of National Education Day:

National Education Day Overview

Significance of National Education Day

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.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad & his contribution towards education in India

Maulana Abul Kalam was an independence activist, Islamic theologian and a great scholar. He was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress who led many movements to achieve the independence of the country from the Britishers. After the country got its independence on 15 August 1947, Azad became the first minister of education of the country. As the Indian minister of education who served for a period of over 10 years, Maulana brought many major development in the field.

Azad was one of the founder members of the prestigious Jamia Millia Islamia university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. He also helped with the establishment of two major education governing bodies of India- University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Other than this, Azad is also credited with the establishment of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), IISc (Indian Institutes of Scienece), School of Architecture and Planning, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sahitya Akademi and Lalit Kala Akademi to promote education and culture in the country. For all his contributions, Azad was posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 1992.

History of National Education Day Observation

The National Education Day of India was established by the country’s Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2008. the day of observation was chosen as November 11 to coincide with the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. The country celebrates this special day by recalling his contribution to the cause of education in India. The first National Education Day was celebrated on November 11, 2008 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi and the celebrations were inaugurated by then President Pratibha Patil.

National Education Day Celebration

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. 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 this important day in November called National Education Day.

Institutes named after Maulana Abul Azad Kalam

Here are some of the premiere institutions of India that are named in honor of Maulana Abul Azad Kalam, the first education minister of the country.

• Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi
• Maulana Azad Institute Of Dental Sciences, New Delhi
• Maulana Azad Centre for Elementary and Social Education, University of Delhi
• Maulana Azad College, West Bengal
• Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata
• Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Kolkata

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