The man who had never occupied a school desk spent nearly 11 years trying to build a classroom large enough for an entire republic:
Snippets:
- In 1948, Azad appointed the University Education Commission under S Radhakrishnan. Its work helped shape the University Grants Commission, constituted in 1953, and later given statutory status in 1956.
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's story is one of self-learning, nation-building, and institutions like IITs and AIIMS that he helped set up, that continue to shape generations of Indians.
- Azad served as India's education minister from August 1947 until his death in February 1958. During his tenure, India established IIT Kharagpur, the UGC, the University and Secondary Education Commissions, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) etc
- During his tenure, the central education budget rose from roughly Rs 2 crore to more than Rs 30 crore.
- Azad did not see higher education as the privilege of the elites. He described basic education as the birthright of every individual and pressed for free and compulsory schooling, adult literacy, teacher training and greater public expenditure.
- It would be inaccurate to credit Azad alone with building the IITs. Nehru, scientists, state governments, committees and administrators were all involved. But Azad was the minister who converted the shared vision into educational policy.
Source: Above details in the snippets are collected from the source in the above link.