{{Short description|Indian teacher, headmaster at 16}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox person | name = Babar Ali | native_name = বাবর আলি | image = Babar-Ali-Portfolio-Image.jpg | caption = Babar Ali in 2015 <ref name="portpic">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/babar-ali-india-teaching-education |title=The nine-year-old who set up a school in his garden and transformed into a university |magazine=WIRED |location=UK |first=Ruby |last=Lott-Lavigna |date=30 November 2016 |access-date=3 July 2017}}</ref> | office = Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly | predecessor = Abdur Razzak | political_party = All India Trinamool Congress | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1993|3|18}} | birth_place = Murshidabad, West Bengal, India | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Educationist & Politician | citizenship = Indian | notable_works = | parents = {{plainlist| * Md Nasiruddin }}Banuara Bibi | spouse = | partner = | children = | relatives = | awards = Real Heroes Award 2009 by CNN IBN<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.news18.com/videos/india/real-hero-babar-309216.html|title = Real heroes: Meet India's youngest school principal}}</ref> | signature = | website = {{URL|https://www.babarali.in}} }}
'''Babar Ali''' (born 18 March 1993) is a teacher and politician from Murshidabad in West Bengal. He was called the "youngest headmaster in the world" by BBC in October 2009, at the age of sixteen.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=19 February 2009 |title=Real heroes: Meet India's youngest school principal |url=https://www.news18.com/videos/india/real-hero-babar-309216.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20201008081022/https://www.news18.com/videos/india/real-hero-babar-309216.html |archive-date=2020-10-08 |access-date=2026-05-26 |website=News18 |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Career == He had begun teaching at nine years of age, mostly as a game, and then decided to continue teaching other children at a larger scale.<ref name=":0" />
That the school is tuition-free makes it affordable for the poor in this economically deprived area, so that the school has been recognised to have helped increase literacy rates in the area.<ref name="bbc">[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8299780.stm ''The ‘youngest headmaster in the world’''], BBC News, 12 October 2009</ref> In Murshidabad there had been no governmental or private schools.<ref name="contemporary">[http://ishtidane.blogspot.com/2009/04/india-needs-babar-ali-not-varun-gandhi.html ''India Needs Babar Ali, Not Varun Gandhi''], Contemporary Muslim World, 18 April 2009</ref> Pupils come from nearby villages and walk up to four kilometres in order to attend their lessons.<ref name="thebetterindia">[http://www.thebetterindia.com/tags/babar-ali/ ''The Common Man''], The Better India</ref>
Babar Ali succeeded in having his school recognized by the local authorities when he realised that this would entitle its pupils to the portion of free rice given to pupils at the end of the month by the government.<ref name="thebetterindia"/>
== Political career == In 2026, Babar Ali joined the All India Trinamool Congress and contested the West Bengal Legislative Assembly election from the Jalangi Assembly constituency.
He won the election with 88,684 votes and defeated CPI(M) candidate Ianus Ali Sarkar by a margin of 21,516 votes.
== Honor and recognition == In 2009, Babar Ali won a prize from the program Real Heroes of the Indian English news channel CNN IBN for his work and was awarded the NDTV ‘Indian of the Year’ award and LITERACY HERO AWARD, BY ROTARY INDIA LITERACY MISSION and recently featured in ‘FORBES ASIA’ in their 30 under 30 list as a ‘SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR’,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Babar Ali|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/babar-ali/|access-date=8 February 2021|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref> also recognised as the Literacy hero by international literacy association in their "30 under 30" list, Also received Education leadership award by BBC knowledge, His story became a part of the syllabus for the PUC English textbook for Govt. of Karnataka, and also in curriculum across the globe. He was featured on Aamir Khan's TV show Satyamev Jayate in July 2012, and is regularly invited to speak at various conferences and forums all over the world. Babar is also a TED Fellow and an INK FELLOW AND INK Conference speaker and Wired fellow, Babar graduated from Berhampur Krishnath College (under Kalyani University in West Bengal, India) in English Honours, and Completed his M.A. in English & History.
== Legacy == The Karnataka government has included Babar's story in the prescribed English text book for first year PUC. His story is also in the main course book for 10th grade by NCERT in the CBSE board. Former President of India Shri Ramnath Kovind mentioned Babar Ali and his work in his speech addressing the nation on 25 January 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=25 January 2020|title=Babar Ali & The President of India|url=https://presidentofindia.nic.in/speeches-detail.htm?796|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603131401/https://presidentofindia.nic.in/speeches-detail.htm?796 |archive-date=3 June 2020 |access-date=8 February 2021|website=presidentofindia.gov.in|language=english}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
<ref>{{cite news |title=Jalangi election results 2026: TMC's Babar Ali wins |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jalangi-election-results-2026-tmcs-babar-ali-vs-bjps-naba-kumar-sarkar/articleshow/130678251.cms |work=The Times of India }}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web |title=Babar Ali(All India Trinamool Congress(AITC)) - JALANGI |url=https://www.myneta.info/WestBengal2026/candidate.php?candidate_id=1086 |website=MyNeta }}</ref>
<ref>{{cite news |title=AITC retains Jalangi seat, Babar Ali wins |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/story/jalangi-assembly-election-results-2026-live-updates-west-bengal-vote-counting-seat-constituency-candidates-leading-trailing-wbaelb-2905538-2026-05-04 |work=India Today }}</ref>
==External links== * [http://anandasikshaniketan.in Official Link]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Babar}} Category:Indian schoolteachers Category:Living people Category:1993 births Category:Krishnath College alumni Category:Educators from West Bengal Category:West Bengal MLAs 2026–2031