Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s Educational Relevance & Contributions

SHAIKH MOHAMMADI
RESEARCH SCHOLAR
MARATHWADA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
DR.RAFIQ ZAKARIA CAMPUS
AURANGABAD.
9922948697

INTRODUCTION:

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad born in Mecca on November 11, 1888. His father Maulana Khairuddin was a noted
scholar. His mother Aaliya was an Arab. His father gave him the name Feroz Bakht but he became Abul Kalam and
the name stayed. At the age of 10 he was well versed in Quran. At the age of 17 Abul Kalam was a trained
theologian recognized in the Islamic World. His studies at Al-Azhar University, Cairo further deepened his
knowledge. At Calcutta where his family had settled down, he started a magazine called ‘Lisan-ul-Sidq’. His early
influences were Maulana Shibli Nawmani and Altaf Husain Hali.
Maulana Azad was indeed an institution in himself. As a distinguished scholar, great statesman. Maulana Azad was
imbued with lofty ideas of nationalism, democracy, freedom and rationalism. Azad made a debut in politics when
the British government partitioned Bengal in 1905 on religious ground. The Muslim middle classes supported the
partition but Azad rejected it outright. He took active part in the agitation, joined the secret societies and
revolutionary organizations, and came in contact with Shri Aurobindo Ghosh and Shyamsunder Chakravarty. He

stood for a unified India and never deviated from his stand.

MAULANA AZAD AS DISTINGUISHED WRITER:

Though young Abul Kalam inherited from his father his retiring nature, his insatiable thirst for knowledge in all
spheres would not let him reconcile himself to the life of a divine. He seems to have been a born writer and
journalist, as before he was out of his teens he had several journals to his credit. “Lisanul Sidq” (The voice of Truth)
was his first venture in this direction, issued when he was barely 14 years of age. At the age of 20 he started a
Journal in Urdu named Al-Hilal in 1912 and then Al-Balagh. Maulana Azad was prolific writer with books in
Urdu, Persian and Arabic, notably amongst which is ‘India Wins Freedom’ his political biography translated from
Urdu to English. Maulana’s translation of Quran from Arabic into Urdu in six volumes published by Sahitya
Academy in 1977. Since then several editions of Tarjuman-e-Quraan have come out. His other books include
Gubar-e-Khatir, Hijr-o-Vasal, Khatbat-e-Azad, Humari Azadi, Tazkara.
AS AN ORATOR:

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As an orator Azad had no equal among his contemporaries when he spoke the audience listen to him spell bound.
Recalling the memories of the Roman and the Greek Orators. There was a magic in his words, his language was
chaste, civilized, his speech was dramatic.

AS EDUCATION MINISTER (1947-1958):

In 1947 when the interim government was formed Maulana Azad was included as member for Education and Arts.
On August 15, 1947 when India attained independence he became free India’s first education minister with a cabinet
rank where he achieved a number of distinction and established institutions of excellence to promote education and
culture.
He was the first to raise the issue of the National System of Education which is today the bedrock of the national
policy on education (1986) updated in 1992. All educational programmes he said must be carried out in strict
conformity with secular values and constitutional framework. He stood for a common educational structure of
10+2+3 throughout India.
According to Maulana Azad “The wealth of the nation was not in the countries bank but in primary schools”.
Among the new institutions he established were the three national academies.
The Sangeet Natak Academy (1953), Lalit Kala Academy (1954), Sahitya Academy (1964).The Indian council for
cultural relations having been established by him earlier in 1950 which has now come up to play a significant role in
the academic growth of the country.
He assisted Pandit Nehru in setting up the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and
many a chain of science laboratories in India. As chairman of the Central Advisory Board of Education
(CABE) an apex body to recommend to the government educational reform both the centre and the states
including universities, he advocated, in particular, universal primary education, free and compulsory for all
children up to the age of 14, girls education, vocational training, agricultural education and technical education.
He established Universities Grants Commission (UGC) in 1956 by an act of parliament for disbursement of
grants and maintenance of standards in Indian universities. According to him the universities have not only
academic functions but they have social responsibilities as well. He firmly believed with Nehru that if the
University discharged their functions well, all will be well with the Nation. He was pioneer in the field of Adult
Education. On the technical education side he strengthened All Indian Council for Technical Education
(AICT).The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur was established in 1951 followed by a chain of IIT’s at
Bombay, Madras, Kanpur and Delhi. As the Minister of Education he insisted that both the union and the states
must share responsibilities in promotion of education. School of planning and Architecture came into existence
at Delhi in 1955.He appointed the university education commission in 1948 and secondary education
commission in 1952.His greatest contribution, however, is that inspite of being an eminent scholar of Urdu,
Persian and Arabic he stood for the retention of English language for educational advantages and national and
international needs. However primary education should be imparted in the mother tongue. While delivering a
speech at the diamond jubilee celebration of scindia school, Gwalior, on February 26, 1949, he remarked: “A

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 good school is a national asset of the highest value at any place or at any time. Schools are the laboratories
which produce the future citizens of the state.”
MAULANA ABUL KALAM AZAD AS A PHILOSOPHER:
Metaphysics: As the core of Azad’s philosophy his concept of God, Universe and man make up the Metaphysics of
his educational outlook and those of knowledge and religion from its epistemological dimension of the three
metaphysical concepts of Azad,the most important is the concept of God. The concept includes man’s innate faith in
the Divine Existence, on the one hand and his acquired belief in His attributes on the other.
The concept of universe, the second constituent of Azad’s metaphysics follows essentially from his concept of God,
the universe manifests all His attributes essential for its operation as a perfect scheme of creation.
The concept of man, the third constituent of Azad’s metaphysics, evolves from the two preceding concepts. In the
gamut of creation, the creative process has finally flowered in the appearance of man, who has, by virtue of his
inherent qualities, assumed the office of God’s vicegerent on this planet and even around it. In his sharing of the
infiniteness of the Divine attributes, he alone, of all the creatures, has acquired the competence to achieve mastery
over the entire creation.
Epistemology: The study of the metaphysical concepts of Azad leads to what may be defined as its epistemological
dimension. In order to facilitate man’s task of achieving mastery over the rest of creation, he has been endowed with
the capacity of learning at three successive levels: the instinctive, the sensory and the intellectual. Man needs
definitely a higher level of awareness in the fulfillment of the role assigned to him as God’s vicegerent. This fact of
Revelation or Wahi, the supreme level of learning that man is endowed with, is explicable in the light of three
compelling reasons. First of all, the three levels of learning in man are restricted for their operation, within the limits
of the sensible world. There must, therefore, be a superior level of understanding to introduce him to the super-
sensible realm of the reality. Revelation is the supreme faculty guiding man in this direction.
Secondly, each of the three levels of learning is operative strictly within its own specific orbit and necessitates
the guidance of the next higher level in human behavior. Instinctive action is corrected by the senses and the sensory
behavior is guided by intelligence. Thirdly the manifestation of this supreme level of learning has been one of the
most recurrent facts in human history.
The concept of religion, the second epistemological concept of Azad emerges from that of knowledge. An
embodiment of Revelation, religion lies within the frontiers of knowledge but as a code of teaching, it has its own
ethical and moral dimension. From its moral aspect, religion envisages the integration of man’s character at three
successive levels: the individual, the social and the international.
In view of the emerging role of religion, Azad brought forth the secret of Universalism as the essence of every
religious system. The solution of the conflict on the plane of religion, the Quran re-echoed the voice of the common
religious message to the humanity divided against it.
Axiology: What Maulana Azad put forth as his axiology of education evolves organically from his basic
philosophical concepts. Azad’s Axiological hierarchy, in order of precedence, are the five universal values-Maruf
or Good, Haq or Truth, Jamal or Beauty, Love and Adal or Justice.

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 Maruf stands for what has commanded agreement among all human socities.It brings moral equilibrium and it
symbolizes a state of balance in human behavior.
The second value of supreme importance is Haq or Truth. Haq must fulfill two important criteria: the indivisibility
of its identity and the consistency of its essence. In this world of flux and change it is Haq alone that survives and
sustains itself at various levels of existence. Bringing the Quranic evidence to bear on the idea, Azad asserted that
Haq is immutable and unutterable while its antonym, Batil, lacks sustenance and cannot survive. By virtue of its
consistency, Haq deserves to be handed down from generation to generation and so the importance of education as a
process of cultural transmission. If Maruf symbolizes an all embracing spirit in an educative process, Haq
constitutes the very purpose it has to fulfill.
Haq follows Jamal or Beauty. In the struggle for existence whatever survives is beautiful and balanced. Under
the Divine attribute of Rehmat or benevolence, the universe looks like an exhibition house of beauty and harmony
wherein man is endowed with the sensitiveness for beauty. Beauty in physical form is evident like colour, light,
fragrance, melody and symmetry. In its mental sense beauty has brought forth more wondrous phenomena, the
foremost being man’s own organism, tabulated with reasoning and intelligence.
In the context of the present human situation wherein the individual feels torn and society “riven with a hundred
conflicts” man’s sensibility needs to be quickened through education for beauty so as to bring more of grace in his
daily life.
Essentially related to beauty, the value of love must pervade the human sphere in its devotion to the ideal it has
set before itself. Man’s devotion to Allah must be imbued with his unstinted love for His fellow beings and other
creatures. Animated by the absolute value of Love, an educative programme must be a relationship of affection and
understanding between the educator and the educand.The fifth value given by Azad is Adal or Justice, the supreme
principle that brings creative process to its completion .Adal introduces balance and harmony in the process of
creation, being the mainspring of the law of causation.
Education for justice brings in a state of stable equilibrium between the antithetic entities, viz individual freedom
and social control, the spiritual and the scientific outlook, the religious and the secular system.
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF AZAD:
# Goals of Education according to Azad:
1) Democratization of Education.
2) Maintenance of Educational standards.

3) Broadening of Educational outlook.

4) Promotion of Mutual understanding.
#Supreme ideals of Education:
1) The Ideal of Human freedom.
2) The Ideal of Human fellowship.
3) The Ideal of Human fulfillment.
Subjects: As the Education minister Azad recommended “Indian culture and spiritualism” along with modern
science and technology. Languages, Religion, craft, social science, General science and Mathematics.

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Teacher: Teacher should be impressive by his personality, inspire people with their attitude for search of truth, and
influence other by character, imbued with a strong sense of mission.
Teaching Methods: Imla method, self-activity method, self –direction method, own observation, Direct
participation, Direct-experience, Immediate observation method.
Students: Disciplined, active and voluntary participation in various school activities.
Examination: According to Azad, an examination is driving force in any scheme of creative nature in the
fulfillment of its own objective.
Principles of educational philosophy by Azad:
Principle of justice, Principle of Universalism, Principle of Individual differences, Principle of Experimentalism,
Principle of sharing, Principle of international sharing, Principle of Freedom, Principle of Democracy, Principle of

Spiritualism, Principle of Understanding, Principle of Character building, Principle of All round development and
Principle of Humanism.
CONCLUSION:
Jawaharlal Nehru, while paying tribute to MAULANA ABUL KALAM AZAD, said: “We mourn today the passing of a
great man of luminous intelligence and mighty intellect with an amazing capacity to pierce through a problem to its
core. I use the word ‘luminous’. I think that is the best word I can use about his mind-a luminous mind. When we
miss such a companion, a friend, colleague, comrade, leader, teacher-call him what you will-there is inevitably a
tremendous void created in our life and activities.
In 2008 Indian Government declared 11th November the day of his birth as the National Education Day. He has
been awarded by Bharat Ratan in 1992. The eminent educationist and first education minister of independent India
died in 1958.

REFERENCES:

1) Dr.Rasool Abduhu G. “The Educational Ideas of MAULANA ABUL KALAM AZAD” Sterling publishers (P)
LTD.New Delhi.

2) Rizvi “Imbibe invaluable traits of Maulana Azad”.http\\www.ummid.com.\news\Retrived on 07March 2021.

3) Sharma.S.R. “Life and works of MAULANA ABUL KALAM AZAD.Book Enclave, Jaipur,INDIA.
4) Spectrum The Tribune, http://www.tribuneindia.com\2010\20101107\ Retrieved 19 March 2021.
5) Syed kashif “OPINION: Maulana Azad:An Eminent Educationist” http:\\www.JamiaJournal.com\ Retrieved
12\03\2021.