National Education Day observed on 11 November

11 November: National Education Day

National Education Day (NED) was observed on 11 November 2014 to mark of the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. This NED was 125th birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

During the celebration, President Pranab Mukherjee and other ministers paid floral tributes to Azad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi saluted Azad and described him as scholar, freedom fighter and a man who devoted his life towards nation building.

Ministry of Human Resource Development launched the following new initiatives to mark the National Education Day.

• Saksham initiative is a college level scholarship for differently abled, needy and meritorious children.
• Pragati initiative is a scholarship for girl students who are pursuing technical education at college level.
• Skill Assessment Matrix for Vocational Advancement of Youth (SAMAVAY) allows multiple pathways between Vocational education - skills, education and job markets. Skill Credit Framework document provides the SAMAVAY which will facilitate India to harness the potential of young India.
• Know your College Portal is an application developed for helping a prospective student make a valued judgment of the college student wishes to join by providing them the necessary information about the college.
• Unnat Bharat Abhiyan involves higher educational institutions to work with the people of rural India in identifying development challenges and evolving appropriate solutions for accelerating sustainable growth.

About National Education Day
• National Educational Day was observed on the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, first Education minister of Independent India.
• In 2008, Government of India declared that Azad’s birth anniversary will be celebrated as the National Education Day.