New Delhi: In another seemingly outrageous and intimidating move, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has removed a reference to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad from Class 11 Political Science Textbooks.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, popularly known as Maulana Azad, is Independent India’s first Education Minister and one of the front leaders of the country’s freedom struggle.
As India’s Education Minister, Maulana Azad played key role in shaping the newly independent country’s education policy, designing it based on research, science and technology.
The chain of IITs that we see today is also the brainchild of Maulana Azad.
Maulana Azad has always been key in all major or minor policy decisions taken before and after independence. He was not only part of almost every meetings, but also chaired many of them.
Maulana Azad in fact was part of a trio – Nehru, Gandhi and Azad, taller even Sardar Patel, India’s first Home Minister.
The NCERT has however revised in the Class 11 Political Science textbook's first chapter, titled 'Constitution — Why and How', a line to remove Maulana Azad's name from the constituent assembly committee meetings.
The revised line now reads, "Usually, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Patel or BR Ambedkar chaired these Committees."
The latest NCERT revision comes days after reports surfaced that it has removed all reference to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, and historic details about Mughal rule in India.
Besides being a top notch scholar, Maulana Azad was a nationalist leader who headed the Congress Party as its youngest president, and prevented the party from split on two occasions before the independence.
The only Indian leader who opposed partition of India till the end and a staunch opponent of ‘Two Nation Theory’, Maulana Azad did not mince words in criticising Nehru, Gandhi, Patel and other Congress leaders for their wrong policies.
After the independence, Azad remained a close confidante, supporter and advisor to Prime Minister Nehru, and played an important role in framing national policies. Azad spearheaded the creation of national programmes of school and college construction and spreading the enrolment of children and young adults into schools, to promote universal primary education.
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