National Education Day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Maulana Azad, a great freedom fighter and champion of education after independence in India. The day focuses on the need for promoting literacy and education.
When is National Education Day 2021?
Every year, National Education Day is celebrated on 11th November, in memory of Maulana Azad. Maulana Azad has the most significant recognition as he served as Independent India first education minister. He served for an extended period as the Minister of Education from 1947 to 1958.
Why is National Education Day celebrated on 11th November?
The first and foremost celebration of National Education Day was formally announced in the year 2008. From the same year onwards, the Central Ministry started celebrations on the birth anniversary of Maulana Azad and declared it as National Teaching Day. The government also declared that celebrations would continue in the country without saying it was a national holiday. Let us now recall the historical contributions of Maulana Azad in developing an excellent educational system in India.
Maulana Azad played the frontier role in establishing a national level institutional structure for our country’s citizens. Maulana Azad flew high in ambitions by extending scholastic scope from elementary education to higher and specialised learning. He laid the foundation stone of UGC or University Grants Commission, one of the premier educational institutions in the country providing a host of educational programs and courses through different study modes.
UGC caters to every student of the country in various methods of learning. Interestingly, Maulana Azad was convinced of the Central Education minister’s role by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. He was chosen for the role of former leader C. Rajagopalachari. He led his role with great enthusiasm and passion from 1947 till his death in 1958.
During his tenure, he established many institutions of importance like UGC, AICTE [ All India Council for Technical Education], Institute of Higher Education [Kharagpur], University Education Commission, Secondary Education Commission, Jamia Millia Islamia and IIT Kharagpur.
National Education Day 2021 Theme
Education is the central theme of celebration for National Education Day. Every year, the day does not see attachment of explicit, changing themes of celebration. However, every school sets aside a different series of celebrations to mark the day. Every year the Ministry of HRD sets a plan of events to celebrate the birth anniversary of Maulana Azad and to remember his contributions to the field of education.
Some of the common areas stressed upon to highlight the day’s importance include “Education of women”, “Compulsory universal primary education”, “the importance of vocational education”, “free and fair education for all children till the age of 14” and “making technical education affordable to the masses”. The present governments live by Maulana Azad’s foresight of inculcating modern sciences and contemporary teaching methodologies in imparting education to the country.
How do we celebrate National Education Day 2021?
Every educational institution in our country fondly remembers the great leader Maulana Azad on his birth anniversary or National Education Day. Some of the popular events of celebration include debates, quizzes, speech, essay writing competitions. Workshops are conducted by schools and government set-ups for the benefit of teaching communities. Elocution competitions and lectures on Maulana Azad’s contribution to our nation are also staged.
Rallies and campaigns to spread education’s importance to the masses are carried out, especially in rural areas. The Central Ministry conducts press conferences to highlight their contributions to teaching and learning during the past year. Volunteers take through the distribution of informative books and pamphlets on Maulana Azad’s life and works.
Film shows on the present scenario of education in our country and the transformation of education by digital means are screened in many places. Many children who have achieved a remarkable feat in their studies and courses are recognised. Teachers who have made a distinctive difference in their students’ lives are awarded recognition. Dignitaries from various sectors are invited to preside over the day’s events at many schools and government educational organisations to make the day memorable.
What is the importance of November 11th?
Education is one of the fundamental human rights bestowed to all citizens by our own Constitution. The Right to Education entitles every citizen of India to receive formal training from a world-class educational institution. Without knowledge, the society we live in cannot progress. Countries that have high rates of literates and educated citizens commonly have higher rates of progress and development.
Education is one of the primary needs of a person that opens doors to a world of opportunities. The government has taken enormous steps to improve the literacy scene in our country. The literacy rates in the post-independence era and current figures show a remarkable and drastic improvement. People have realised the importance of education in every person’s life.
Rural training and education of women suffered even after many years of Indian independence. With greater awareness and promotion of education through government schemes and campaigns, these rates have increased too! National Teaching Day is an essential day in the history of India’s progress. It is remarkable for two reasons. It marks the birth anniversary of Maulana Azad and places importance on improving the national education system in the country.
According to Mr Kalam, education is not just a birthright of every individual but is a necessity without which a person can’t appropriately tend to work towards his duties. Maulana Azad served the country under the Education minister portfolio when the country was genuinely filled with an abundance of illiteracy. People lived as the remnants of years of exploitation, and thus their mindsets had a changed constitution.
Happy National Education Day 🙂