Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMI) celebrated the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of India on the occasion of National Education Day on November 11, 2020.
The Department of Educational Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMI) organized an online panel discussion on the contribution of Maulana Azad. Department’s Assistant Professor, Dr. Arshad Ikram Ahmad convened the panel discussion.
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Professor Aejaz Masih, Head of the Department of Educational Studies said, during the online panel discussion, “Maulana Azad was not only a good orator but also a great thinker and scholar.”
He further added that Maulana Azad was a great supporter of Hindu-Muslim unity. The nation was above religion for the first Education Minister of India.
Faculty members and students of all the programs of various JMI Departments have participated in the online event.
Assistant Professor in the Department of Urdu at JMI, Dr Khalid Mubashshir enlightened the contributions made by Maulana Azad. He said Maulana Azad wanted to eliminate the sense of insecurity among the Indian minority communities.
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Dr Khalid further added, “Maulana Azad was a staunch supporter of composite culture and wished to strike a balance between modernity and tradition. He believed in the freedom of the press. Moreover, education must focus on personality development than earning a livelihood.”
Assistant Professor of the Department of Urdu, Dr M Jawaid Hussain highlighted that Maulana Azad was eclectic in his educational ideas that represented the best communion of tradition and modernity; despite being raised in a religious family and trained in theology.
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He further added that the first education minister, Maulana Azad with his ‘trans modern’ thoughts tried to reconcile tradition and modernity.
According to Dr Hussain, Maulana Azad’s five-point program found resonance in subsequent educational policies and programs.
Azad’s five-point program includes; making elementary education free and compulsory, social education for adults, expanding quality secondary and higher education facilities, emphasis on technical and scientific education, and enriching the cultural life of the community.
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