National Education Day is celebrated in India on 11 November every year. It is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first education minister of independent India
The Ministry of Human Resource Development announced on 11 September 2008 to celebrate National Education Day on 11 November. All educational institutions in the country mark the day with seminars, symposia, essay-writing, elocution competitions, workshops and rallies with banner cards and slogans on the importance of literacy and the nation's commitment to all aspects of education.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Maulana Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al-Hussaini Azad was an Indian freedom fighter and senior leader of the Indian National Congress. He was independent India's first Education Minister and served from 1947 to 1958. He played a significant role in laying the foundation of the Indian education system and is well known as an educationist.
Jawaharlal Nehru referred to him as Mir-i- Karawan (the caravan leader). Mahatma Gandhi remarked about Azad by counting him as "a person of the calibre of Plato, Aristotle and Pythagorus"
Numerous institutions across India have also been named in his honour. He was one of the founders of Jamia Millia Islamia, a central university located in New Delhi. Maulana Abul Kalam also contributed to the establishment of institutes like IIT Kharagpur. He strongly advocated education for women and free and compulsory primary education for children up to the age of 14. Azad emphasized the role of education in national development and inspired the growth of science and technology.
In 1992 government of India honoured him by giving posthumously Bharat Ratna.
Further Reading
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Biography on Britannica