Vijayawada: Moulana Azad remembered for his service to education

Vijayawada: As an Education Minister for the country for eleven years after Independence, Moulana Abul Kalam Azad extended yeomen service for the promotion of education in the country by implementing the national education policy, said District Collector A Md Imtiaz while celebrating the National Education Day and the Minorities Welfare Day here on Wednesday.

The meeting was organised by the Minorities Welfare department at Kshetraiah Kalaksehtram with Central MLA and chairman of Brahmin Welfare Corporation Malladi Vishnu as the chief guest.

The young generation should take a cue from the first Education Minister of the country in shaping their future, learning to be disciplined and aim for higher goals, the collector said.

He said that the credit of establishing University Grants Commission, Indian Institute of Technology, Sahitya Academy and Music Academy paving way for the basic changes in the education sector goes to Moulana.

His birthday is being celebrated as the National Education Day throughout the country to mark respect towards the great leader.

The collector recalled that he was bestowed with the highest honour of the country 'Bharat Ratna' in 1992. The state government in order to uplift the minorities has been implementing various welfare programmes like pre- and post-matriculation scholarships and merit scholarships for the minority students. The government is extending Rs 15 lakh under Videsi Vidya Pathakam to the minority students including Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and Parsis for studying abroad.

He said that the government was extending grant-in-aid for the development of mosques, Urdu Ghar-cum-Shadikhana, churches and community halls, through Wakf Board and Christian Minorities Corporation.

The district administration has been celebrating minorities' welfare day, Iftar during Ramzan, and semi-Christmas in December every year.

MLA Malladi Vishnu said that Abul Kalam Azad stood first among the minorities who participated in the freedom struggle. As a poet, author, philosopher, educationist and politician, he made his mark in the country, he said.

He said that he was proud that the state government was implementing his ideology for the welfare of the minorities. Later, prizes were distributed to the students who won the competitions of essay writing, elocution and others.

Joint collectors K Madhavi Latha and K Mohan Kumar, sub-collector HM Dhyan Chandra, DRO Venkateswarlu, minority welfare officer Md Razia Sultana, and others were present.