Since 1947, India has had a Ministry of Education. In 1985, it changed its name to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, and in 2020, it changed its name back to the Ministry of Education. The ministry’s job is to put the National Policy on Education into action and keep an eye on different parts of education in the country. A cabinet minister is in charge of the government. The President of India chooses the cabinet minister based on what the Prime Minister says. Here are the top 5 people who have been in charge of schooling in India.
1. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was India’s first minister of education. He was in office from August 15, 1947, to January 22, 1958. He was an academic, a leader in the Indian National Congress, and a freedom fighter. He was a very important part of making the educational policy and outlook of India after it got its independence. He pushed for free and mandatory basic education, literacy for everyone, scientific and professional education, integration of different cultures, and secularism. He also set up the University Grants Commission, the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, the Indian Institute of Technology, and the Indian Institute of Science12.
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2. K. L. Shrimali
K. L. Shrimali was India’s second minister of education. He was in office from January 22, 1958, to August 31, 1963. He was a lawyer, a reporter, and a member of the Indian National Congress. He carried on the work of his predecessor and worked on making education in India bigger and better. He also supported education for adults, education for women, professional education, and programs for cultural exchange. He also set up the National Council for Educational Research and Training, the Central Board of Secondary Education, the National Book Trust, and the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan12.
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3. M. C. Chagla
M. C. Chagla was India’s fourth minister of education. He was in office from November 21, 1963, to November 13, 1966. He was an ambassador, a politician, and a lawyer. He was a member of the Indian National Congress. He was also the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court and later India’s minister to several countries. People liked him because he had liberal and forward-thinking ideas about education and society. He fought for academic freedom, scientific temper, progress, and cooperation with other countries. He also did things like get rid of college links, start three-year degree programs, make colleges and universities independent, promote regional languages, and start the Indian Institutes of Management.
4. S. Nurul Hasan
Saiyid Nurul Hasan was born in Lucknow, India, on December 26, 1921. He was a historian. He started the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies in Calcutta and was its first head. He started his job as a history teacher at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. Later, he went to work at Aligarh Muslim University. He started the Indian Council of Historical Research in New Delhi while he was the Education Minister of India. He was also the Vice-President of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Indian Ambassador to the Soviet Union, and the Governor of West Bengal and Odisha.
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5. Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the first Prime Minister from a party other than the Indian National Congress to serve a full five-year term. He was born on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior State, British India. He was the first Prime Minister from a party other than the Indian National Congress to do so. He is a powerful leader who has won many important awards, such as the Padma Vibhushan, the Bharat Ratna, the Lokmanya Tilak award, and many more. He also started the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to make elementary school mandatory for everyone, increased government spending on research and development in the area of science, and passed the Chandrayaan-I project in 2008.