Maulana Abul Kalam Azad not given his due, says Union Minister Najma Heptulla

Union Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla expressed regrets on Sunday that previous governments had "failed" to give due recognition to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad for his role in transforming education in independent India.

"He (Azad) had the necessary vision and foresight to recognise the need of quality secular education for a newborn democracy like India. Therefore his first focus was to build a strong institutional edifice for a modern educational system for the country," Heptulla said.

"As a result, we saw setting up of University Grants Commission, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), institutions like Indian Council of Cultural Relations and several other bodies to promote higher education in the country," she said.

Heptulla was addressing the third edition of 'Taleem ki Taquat', a conference on how education can revitalise communities, held at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) campus here.

"Had he not laid a strong foundation for education in independent India, today the country would not have had more than 700 universities and 35,000 colleges. However, I would like to tell you that it is unfortunate and regrettable that his contribution and thoughts are not remembered -- neither by governments nor the people," she said.

"He never got recognition from previous (successive) governments for what he did," Heptulla said.

"Education is one of our most important nation building activities. A good education not only provides knowledge and information but also equips an individual with skills needed to thrive in a highly competitive world," she said.