National Education Day celebrations begin

New Delhi, Nov 11 (UNI) The All India Urdu Educational Committee launched the National Education Day celebrations here today.

Inaugurating the function, attended by around 200 delegates from across the country, AICC General Secretary Mohsina Kidwai called for November 11 to be declared as Education Day on the occasion of the birthday of Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad.

November 11 has already been declared as Education Day in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

Talking to the UNI, All India Urdu Educational Committee Chairman Jaleel Pasha said the celebrations would continue across the country till November 19.

A memorandum containing 36 demands has been submitted to President Pratibha Patil, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, HRD Minister Arjun Singh among others for their kind perusal, he said.

The demands press for announcement of a National Urdu Policy and declaration of November 11 as National Education Day, adding that the HRD minister had already forwarded the memorandum to the Union Cabinet for consideration.

''We will have the Union government formulate a national reservation policy for the minorities as the Constitution doesn't provide reservation for them,'' the chairman said.

He also called upon Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to get the 15-point programme implemented for the welfare of the minorities.

Once launched with much fanfare, the scheme has been gathering dust, he alleged.

UNI