Hyderabad: Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) celebrated National Education Day with an inspiring lecture on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning delivered by Padma Shri awardee Prof. Syed Ehtesham Hasnain, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad and recipient of Germany’s prestigious Order of Merit. Prof. Syed Ainul Hasan, Vice Chancellor, MANUU, presided over the event.

Prof. Hasnain combined cutting-edge scientific insights with reflections on human values, warning that while AI will surpass humans in many tasks over the next two decades, qualities like compassion, honesty, teamwork, and humility will remain irreplaceable. “Computers will do more things more intelligently than us, but they cannot replace human warmth,” he said, urging students to balance technological competence with emotional intelligence.

The celebrated scientist highlighted the growing influence of AI in everyday life self-driving cars, app-based businesses like Uber and Airbnb, and the rapid expansion of 3D printing.

Drawing from decades of pioneering work in DNA science, Prof. Hasnain explained how breakthroughs in bacterial DNA analysis and genome sequencing are redefining medical diagnostics.

Speaking about Maulana Azad’s contribution as Education Minister, Prof. Hasnain, said despite formidable challenges, Azad guided his initiatives with perseverance, reality and a deep sense of national mission. 

Prof. Hasnain said that Maulana Azad quoted, “No programme of national education can be appropriate if it does not give full consideration to the education and advancement of one half of our society that is women,” fifty years before which shows how far-sighted Maulana Azad is about women education.

In his presidential address, Prof. Syed Ainul Hasan praised the university’s rapid progress, announcing that MANUU has entered the prestigious QS Asian University Rankings for the first time. He attributed this milestone to early implementation of the National Education Policy, multidisciplinary research, and faculty excellence. “We are not just celebrating Azad Day, we are celebrating academic transformation,” he said, urging students to actively engage in scholarly activities.
 
Prof. Ishtiaque Ahmed, Registrar, highlighted the inauguration of a state-of-the-art Digital Multimedia Center, strengthening the university’s distance and online education ecosystem. He emphasized MANUU’s commitment to Azad’s belief that education is every citizen’s birthright.
 
The Chairman of the Azad Day Celebration Committee, Prof. Alim Ashraf Jaisi, outlined the extensive series of events organised over the week and highlighted the upcoming international conference on Indo-Persian linguistic commonalities described as one of the most significant academic events in MANUU’s history.
 
Earlier, F.M. Saleem, Bureau Chief, Hindi Milap, Hindi Daily, and Ather Moin, Executive Editor, Munsif Urdu Daily, were felicitated with a shawl, certificate, and presented the “Sitara-e-Sahafat” Award for 2025, in appreciation of their valuable contributions to journalism.