National Education Day is observed across India every year on 11 November to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of independent India. Born on 11 November 1888, Maulana Azad played a significant role in shaping India’s modern education system after Independence.
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad served as India’s first Education Minister from 1947 to 1958.
- He strongly advocated free and compulsory education for children up to the age of 14, girls’ education, vocational training and technical education.
- He played an important role in establishing major educational institutions, including IIT Kharagpur (1951) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 1956.
