Jauhar served as its first vice-chancellor from 1920 to 1923, and Khan served as the first chancellor from 1920 to 1927.[6] On 26 May 2017, Najma Heptulla became 11th Chancellor of the university, and Najma Akhtar became the first woman to hold the post of Vice Chancellor in April 2019 and served until 12 November 2023.[11] On 13 March 2023, Mufaddal Saifuddin was elected the 12th Chancellor of the university.[12]
Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, and Abdul Majeed Khwaja were the founding members and it was established mainly in response to the demand of these fellows of the Aligarh Muslim University for a new National Muslim University which would be free from government influence as they felt that the administration of Aligarh Muslim University was of pro-British stance.[16][17][18]
It was conceived as a national institution that would offer progressive education and an emphasis on Indian nationalism to students from all communities, particularly Muslims. Hussain described “the movement of Jamia Millia Islamia as a struggle for education and cultural renaissance that aims to prepare a blueprint for Indian Muslims which may focus on Islam but simultaneously evolve a national culture for common Indian.”[16] The emergence of Jamia was supported by Mahatma Gandhi,[23][24][25][26] who felt that Jamia Millia Islamia could shape lives of students on the basis of a shared culture and worldview, so Gandhi sent his youngest son Devdas Gandhi to teach Hindi in Jamia.[27]
In 1925, Jamia Millia Islamia moved from Aligarh to Karol Bagh, New Delhi.[20] On 1 March 1935, the foundation stone for a school building was laid at Okhla, then a nondescript village in the southern outskirts of Delhi. In 1936, all institutions of Jamia Millia Islamia except Jamia Press, the Maktaba, and the library moved to the new campus.[20][28]
Jamia Millia Islamia, Karol Bagh Campus, 1925
The University Grants Commission gave Jamia Millia Islamia the deemed status in 1962. Subsequently, on 26 December 1988, it attained the status of a central university through an act of the Indian parliament.
In 2006, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia paid a visit to the university and donated ₹130 crore(US$30 million)[a] for the construction of a library and a research center.[29]
In 2019, the university emerged as a center of the Citizenship Amendment Act protests after the act was passed by the Parliament. On 13 December 2019, Delhi Police tried to forcefully dismiss the protest of students and threw tear gas inside the campus on students to control their agitation. On 15 December 2019, police entered the campus on the pretext of trying to catch the mob that destroyed public peace outside the university campus. Many students sustained injuries because of the police brutality and it sparked protests in several other universities.[30][31]
Campus
The campus is distributed over a large area in the Okhla area of Delhi. The university's cricket ground, Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi Sports Complex, has hosted tournaments and Indian women's cricket matches.[32] This ground also hosted the University Cricket Championship in 2013.[33] Jamia has centers of learning and research, including the Anwar Jamal Kidwai Mass Communication Research Centre (MCRC), Faculty of Engineering & Technology, Faculty of Fine Arts, Centre for Theoretical Physics and the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Academy of International Studies. Jamia Millia Islamia joined the green campaign and installed 2,250-kilowatt solar panels on the campus.[34] To commemorate 100 years of existence, the existing Gate No. 13 of the university was remodelled and named Centenary Gate, which was inaugurated on university's 103rd foundation day.[35]
North Campus
Former Vice-Chancellor, Najma Akhtar, at centenary convocation on 23 July 2023 announced that the university has obtained approval from the Centre government to establish a medical college.[36]
Sports
Cricket Ground
Jamia won its first gold and silver medal in wrestling in 1977 at the All India Inter University Championship.
Ranji Trophy and Vijaya Trophy matches are an annual event at the Jamia Cricket ground. In the past, Jamia has hosted Women's Cricket Test matches, Women's World Cup matches and Blind's Cricket World Cup matches. The facilities were used as practice ground for Commonwealth Games as well.
The ground within its periphery also consists of a central indoor games stadium. The sports complex has facilities for: Cricket, Football, Lawn Tennis Court, Volleyball Court, Badminton, Basketball, Jogging Track, Athletics, Table Tennis, Yoga, Snooker Room and Hockey. The Complex is equipped with gymnasium and sports equipment.
Library
Dr Zakir Husain Library
The University Library System, consisting of a centralized and departmental libraries and archives, has over 6.0 lakhs and approximately 1.43 lakhs subject-specific books, Urdu book collections; 5000 rare books; and 2230 rare manuscripts. The library subscribes to open access to videos; e-resources; eBooks; e-journals; other academic materials; databases; MOOCs courses. The Digital Resource Centre has 100 workstations as a gateway for online resources and 200 computers for students. The library is open to all students of Jamia Millia Islamia. Besides this, there are subject collection in libraries of some faculties and centres.[37]
Health facilities
Dr M A Ansari Health Centre
The university provides free medical facilities for students, teaching and non-teaching staff through Ansari Healthcare Centre, Faculty of Dentistry, Centre for Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Services and Unani Pharmacy.[38]
Mosques
Central Mosque, Jamia Millia Islamia
The varsity has got certain mosques in the campus including the Central Mosque. The central mosque is located opposite to the central library and has a capacity of over 1000 people.[39][40] This mosque is situated on Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Marg, Delhi.[41][42]
Organisation and administration
Governance
The governing officials of the university include the Amir-i-Jamia (chancellor), the Shaikh-ul-Jamia (vice-chancellor), the Naib Shaikh-ul-Jamia (Pro-Vice-Chancellor) and the Musajjil (Registrar). The President of India is the Visitor of the university. The Anjuman or University Court is the supreme authority of the university and has the power to review the acts of the Majlis-i-Muntazimah (Executive Council) the Majlis-i-Talimi (Academic Council) and the Majlis-i-Maliyat (Finance Committee). The Executive Council is the highest executive body of the university. The Academic Council is the highest academic body of the university and is responsible for the maintenance of standards of instruction, education and examination within the university. [43]
Jamia Millia Islamia has eleven faculties under which it offers academic and extension programs.
Faculty of Law
Established in 1989, the Faculty of Law offered only the three-year LL.B. course until the early 2000s, but started additionally offering the integrated 5 Years B.A. LL.B(Hons.) course for UG students from the academic year 2002–2003. The faculty offers apart from a five-year integrated B.A. LL.B (Hons.) programme, a two-year post-graduate programme (LLM) in three specialised streams (personal law, corporate law and criminal law) and a Ph.D. programme. It also offers two-year Executive LL.M programme for working professionals.[49] JMI offers two Post Graduate Diploma Programmes are PG Diploma in Air Space Law and PG Diploma in Labour Law. The faculty secured the 6th rank among law schools in India as per NIRF LAW Ranking 2020.[50]
Faculty of Engineering and Technology
MiG-23, Fighter Jet of the Indian Air Force stands in front of the Faculty of Engineering
The Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET) was established in 1985. It has several departments offering programmes in PhD, M.Tech., M.Sc., B.Tech. and B.Sc. including Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aeronautics, Applied Sciences & Humanities and Environmental Science. They also provide specialization courses for master's degrees such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Sciences, VLSI Design and Technology, Solid State Technology, Environmental Science and Engineering, Earthquake Engineering, Machine Design, Thermal Engineering, Production and Industrial Engineering, Electrical Power Management System, Control & Instrumental System, Electronics, Energy Science and Management, Energy Science and Technology, Environmental Health Risk and Safety Management. In the Times Higher Education Subject Ranking-2020, JMI ranked 401–500 in Engineering and Technology. Within India its rank is 11 among all higher education institutions while among universities it is 2nd position.[51] JMI was placed at 501–600 in computer science, while among Indian Institutions it has been ranked at 16th position and at 7th among Indian universities.[51]
Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics
Jamia Millia Islamia is the only Central university with a Faculty of Architecture & Ekistics. The architecture program was started in 2001–2002. This Faculty has the Department of Architecture which offers two-degree courses in Bachelor of Architecture, Nine Masters courses and PhD. The courses include undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral studies in subjects such as Architecture, Architecture Pedagogy, Healthcare Architecture, Building Services, Recreational Architecture, Urban Regeneration, Ekistics, Master of Planning (M.Plan) and Master of Design (M.Des).[52][53]
Faculty of Humanities and Languages
This Faculty has nine departments offering programmes in PhD, M Phil (pre-PhD), Postgraduate, Undergraduate, Diploma and Certificate courses.
This Faculty has six departments offering programmes in PhD, Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), diploma and certificate courses. The subjects taught include Painting, Sculpture, Applied Arts, Art Education, Graphic Art and Art History & Art Appreciation. The campus has an art gallery named after the Indian painter M. F. Hussain.
M.F Husain Art Gallery
Faculty of Social Sciences
Gulistan-e-Ghalib, which features the statue of Mirza Ghalib
The Faculty of Social Sciences is based around Gulistan-e-Ghalib and is commonly referred to as the Main Campus.
Faculty of Sciences
Department of Mathematics
The Faculty of Sciences consists of five departments, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Geography and Computer Science. In addition, there are three associated centres namely FTK- Centre for Information Technology, Centre for Theoretical Physics and Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.[56]
Faculty of Life Sciences
Srinivasa Ramanujan Block, Faculty of Life Sciences
The faculty of Life Sciences, based in Srinivasa Ramanujan Block at Mujeeb Bagh Campus, consists of two departments, Biosciences and Biotechnology, which offers courses in Ph.D., postgraduate, undergraduate and diploma in Unani Pharmacy and Ph.D. Unani Medicine.[57]
Faculty of Education
Department of Adult Continuing Education and Extension, TTI
Teachers’ Training Institute was established in 1938 under the inspiring leadership of Hussain for the purpose of training teachers for Basic Schools according to the scheme of Basic Education. Later, it was renamed as Teachers’ College. The college initiated Teacher Education Programme for Art and Craft Teachers and in Art Education. The Faculty of Education, through its two departments namely Educational Studies and Institute of Advanced Studies in Education, formerly known as the department of Teacher Training and Non-Formal Education runs 12 different programmes including B.Ed., M.Ed., M.A. The Faculty also offers diploma, M.Phil. and Doctoral programme in Education.
The Mass Communication Research Centre was established in 1982 by Anwar Jamal Kidwai, then vice-chancellor (later chancellor) of Jamia Millia Islamia.[60] The centers offers postgraduate courses in Mass Communication. The FTK-Centre for Information Technology provides internet facility for the faculty members, staff, research scholars, and students.[61]
Centre for Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences
The centre offers courses including, (B.P.T) Bachelor of Physiotherapy, M.P.T. (Sports), M.P.T. (Orthopaedics), M.P.T. (Neurology), M.P.T. (Cardiopulmonary) and the doctorate in philosophy.
Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
The centre aims to promote research in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology, with potential applications towards fulfilling national strategic needs. The main research focus of the centre includes nano-fabrication and nano-device, nano-materials and nano-structures, nano-biotechnology and nano-medicine, nano-structure characterization and measurements. Its offers PhD and M.Tech. (Nanotechnology) courses.[63]
Centre for Spanish and Latin American Studies
The centre offers part-time Certificate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma courses in five languages: French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Russian. It also offers M.Phil/PhD in European Studies and Latin American Studies.[64]
MMAJ Academy of International Studies
MMAJ Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia
Formerly Academy of Third World Studies, MMAJ Academy of International Studies was established in 1988 under the initiative of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to conduct inter-disciplinary research on social, political and economic issues pertaining to the developing countries.[65] Subsequently, it was renamed after one of the co-founders of Jamia Millia Islamia, Maulana Mohamad Ali Jauhar.[65]
The academy offers M.Phil. and Ph.D. programmes in International Studies, postgraduate courses (Politics: International and Area Studies) and language courses in Uzbek and Chinese.[65] It also has its own library and documentation centre, named after Abid Husain.[65]
Other centers
Jamia's other academic and non-academic centers include Dr. Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies, Centre for Distance and Open Learning, Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Centre for Jawaharlal Nehru Studies, Centre for Comparative Religions and Civilizations, Centre for West Asian Studies, Dr. K.R. Narayanan Centre for Dalit and Minorities Studies, Academy of Professional Development of Urdu Medium Teachers, Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research, India – Arab Cultural Centre, Centre for Culture Media & Governance, Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, UGC-Human Resource Development Centre, Centre for Coaching and Career Planning, Jamia's Premchand Archives & Literary Centre, Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women's Studies, University Counseling & Guidance Centre, Centre for Early Childhood Development and Research and Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE).[66]
Schools
Jamia Millia Islamia also imparts education from nursery to senior secondary level. Its schools include:
Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) was ranked 13th in India overall by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2024,[72] 6th in law ranking,[77] 7th in architecture ranking,[79] 8th in the dental ranking,[80] 24th in the engineering ranking,[76] 19th in research institutes[73] and 25th in the management ranking.[78]
Jamia Millia Islamia organizes various cultural festivals including the annual festival. The university organises Talimi Mela on its Foundation Day of 29 to 30 October every year.[83]
Jamia has also the legacy of celebrating national cultural festival called MiRAAS. It was initiated by Dean Students of Welfare where various cultural and competitive events were organised by the students. It was not being organised after 2017.[84][85]
Dr. Zakir Husain Khan was an Indian educationist and politician who served as the 3rd president of India from 13 May 1967 until his death on 3 May 1969.
The University of Delhi, informally known as Delhi University, is a collegiate research central university located in Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and is recognised as an Institute of Eminence (IoE) by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The Vice President of India serves as the university chancellor. The university is ranked 6th by National Institutional Ranking Framework 2024.
Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari was an Indian nationalist and political leader, and former president of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League during the Indian Independence Movement. He was one of the founders of Jamia Millia Islamia University. He remained it's chancellor from 1928 to 1936.
Mushirul Hasan was a historian of modern India. He wrote on the partition of India, communalism, and on the history of Islam in South Asia.
A.J.K. Mass Communication Research Centre is a mass communication research centre located in New Delhi, India and a constituent institute of the Jamia Millia Islamia. The full form for AJK MCRC is Anwar Jamal Kidwai Mass Communication Research Centre named after its founder Anwar Jamal Kidwai in 1982.
Abdul Majeed Khwaja was an Indian lawyer, educationist, social reformer and freedom fighter from Aligarh. In 1920, he along with others founded Jamia Millia Islamia and later served its vice chancellor and chancellor.
Education is based on three-tier model which includes primary schools, followed by secondary schools and tertiary education at universities or other institutes of same level. Education Department of the Government of Delhi is a premier body which looks into the educational affairs. The RTE right to education states that children from the age of 6 to 14 have to compulsorily be educated. 25% of the seats in all private schools are also reserved for the under-privileged children. Tertiary education is administrated by the Directorate of Higher Education.
Mushtaq Ahmed Azmi, was a mass literacy expert. He was one of the first non-officials to be associated with the development of Adult Education program in India from the early 1950s, and was an early leader of the mass literacy movement. As an officer of UNESCO, he was posted in Africa and seconded to lead mass literacy programs in Nigeria and Zambia. He was offered a position in the UNESCO by the British diplomat and head of fundamental education at UNESCO John Bowers.
Akhtarul Wasey is an Indian scholar and academician, who serves as the president of Maulana Azad University, in Jodhpur, India. He formerly served as professor of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi, where he remains professor emeritus in the Department of Islamic Studies.
The Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMIFET) was established in 1985 in Delhi, India to provide engineering education. All courses of the faculty are approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). JMI FET is one of the top ranked engineering colleges in the country.
Aligarh Muslim University is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875. Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College became Aligarh Muslim University in 1920, following the Aligarh Muslim University Act.
Najma Akhtar is an Indian academic and academic administrator. She served as the Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia from 12 April 2019 until 12 November 2023. She is also the first woman to hold the post in JMI. In 2022, she was awarded with Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Muḥammad Ijteba Nadwi was an Indian Islamic scholar, who formerly headed the Arabic departments of Jamia Millia Islamia, Kashmir University and the Allahabad University.
Nuzhat Parveen Khan is an Indian academic and author who served as the dean of Bennett University's School of Law. She has formerly served as the dean of Jamia Millia Islamia's Faculty of Law and is now a professor at the university. She has authored dozen of books including Women and Child related Laws, Comparative Constitutional Law and Globalisation of Professional Legal Education Constitutional Conspectus.
Abdul Lateef Azmi was an Urdu litterateur and among the close associates of the founders of Jamia Millia Islamia. He joined Jamia Millia as a student of B.A. in 1936 and served the university over 50 years in various capacities. He was one of the longest serving editors of Jamia Millia's official magazine, Jamia. He died in Delhi on May 11, 2002. In 1985, Maktaba Jamia, New Delhi, published a book Abdul Lateef Azmi Hayat-o-Khidmat. Several scholars contributed chapters in the book on various facets of Abdul Lateef Azmi and his life.
Syed Abid Husain Sr. Secondary School (SAHSSS) is a self-financed school located in Jamia Nagar, Okhla, Delhi. It falls under the jurisdiction of Jamia Millia Islamia, its parent University. When JMI shifted from Aligarh to Karol Bagh in 1925, the premises of Jamia Schools were one of the first to be built in Okhla. The school itself was founded in 1989 as a private self-financed school under Jamia Millia Islamia. Admissions are conducted on the basis of entrance examinations for classes 6th, 9th and 11th and on the basis of drawing of lots for preschool. Although the school has its own board, it follows the CBSE pattern.
Syed Shahid Mahdi is a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and former Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia. He has made significant contributions to both academia and public administration.
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