National Education Day: Commemorating the legacy of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Rutba Iqbal / Awaz e Khwateen

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad declared education a fundamental right of every human being irrespective of their gender, color, caste and creed. Speaking at All India Education on January 16, 1948, Maulana Abul Kalam 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."

Father of Indian Institute Technology (IITs)

When Azad assumed the charge of the Ministry of Education in 1947, he observed the lack of infrastructure and facilities in the technical field. Kalam recognized that for India to compete with the world post-independence, scientific and technical advancement was imperative. With this vision he led India to a revolution in the field of higher studies. Kalam expressed his wish to have an educational system in India at par with the world, so the students do not have to travel across continents to study further. He had a dream of making a prime institute in India so that students across the world will come to India for higher scientific and technical training. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad formally inaugurated the "Indian Institute of Technology" on 18 August 1951.

 

Establishing UGC

A committee headed by S Radhakrishnan under the leadership of Azad as HRD Minister inaugurated the University Grants Commission on 28 December 1953. Maulana Abul Kalam standardized higher education in India. UGC is the regulator of higher education in India and provides recognition to universities in India.

 

Founder of Jamia Millia Islamia

During the 1920’s as Mahatma Gandhi called for boycott of all educational institutions supported or run by the colonial regime, a foundation Committee met on 29 October 1920 to create an institution that did not pander to the colonial regime. This committee was responsible for the subsequent making of Jamia Millia Islamia. Kalam was one of the members of this committee. Fourteen years later, Azad helped in shifting the university campus from Aligarh to New Delhi. The Gate number 7 of Jamia Millia Islamia is under the name of Maulana Azad and is titled as Bab - e Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

During the inauguration of IIT Kharagpur Maulana Azad said, “We are beginning today with only a little over two hundred under-graduates and a few research students, but I can clearly visualize the day when the great potentialities of this Institute will be fully realized.” The world's largest search engine Google is headed by an Indian ‘Sundar Pichai’ who is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur. Today IITs are standing at par with all the institutes in the world, providing the youth with all the provisions to lead that world, making it safe to say that Kalam’s vision has been materialized.