Jamia Millia Islamia

Jamia Millia Islamia is a central university located in New Delhi, India. Originally established at Aligarh, United Provinces (present day Uttar Pradesh, India) during the British Raj in 1920, it moved to its current location in Okhla in 1935. It was given the deemed status by University Grants Commission in 1962. On 26 December 1988, it became a central university.

Najma Heptulla was appointed as the 11th Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia on 26 May 2017 and Najma Akhtar was appointed as the 15th Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia in April 2019.

In 2020, Jamia Millia Islamia was ranked 1st among all central universities in the country in rankings released by Ministry of Education of India.

History

Jamia Millia Islamia was established in Aligarh on 29 October 1920 by Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, Abdul Majeed Khwaja, and Zakir Hussain under the presidency of Mahmud Hasan Deobandi. It was established mainly in response to the demand of some students 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.

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. Zakir 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. It will lay the foundation of the thinking that true religious education will promote patriotism and national integration among Indian Muslims, who will be proud to take part in the future progress of India, which will play its part in the comity of nations for peace and development. The objective of establishment of Jamia Millia Islamia will be to lay down the common curriculum for Indian Muslims taking into account the future challenges and will prepare the children to be masters of future” The emergence of Jamia was supported by Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore who felt that Jamia Millia Islamia could shape lives of hundreds and thousands of students on the basis of a shared culture and worldview.

In 1925, Jamia Millia Islamia moved from Aligarh to Karol Bagh, New Delhi. 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.

The University Grants Commission gave Jamia Millia Islamia the deemed status in 1962. Jamia Millia Islamia became a central university by an act of the Indian Parliament on 26 December 1988.

In 2006, the King of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia paid a visit to the university and donated US$2.90 million for the construction of a library, now known as Dr. Zakir Husain Library (Central Library).

In 2019, the university emerged as a centre 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.

Founders

• Mahmud Hasan Deobandi: He laid the foundation stone of Jamia Millia Islamia and was the most aged among all the founders of Jamia. He was president of the opening ceremony of Jamia Millia Islamia at Aligarh, which took place on 29 October 1920. His presidential speech was read by his student Shabbir Ahmad Usmani.
• Abul Kalam Azad, the nationalist leader of the Indian National Congress, was one of its main initial patrons.
• Mohammad Ali Jouhar became Jamia’s first Vice Chancellor.
• Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of Independence Movement and the Father of the Nation, Gandhi was one of the key people in the foundation of Jamia.
• Zakir Hussain took over the university in its turbulent times in 1927 and guided it through the difficulties. After his death, he was buried on the campus of the University where his mausoleum is open to the public.
• Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari later became the vice chancellor. The main auditorium and Health Centre of the university are both named after him.
• Abdul Majeed Khwaja
• Abid Hussain (not to be confused with Abid Hussain)
• Hakim Ajmal Khan: On 22 November 1920, Hakim Ajmal Khan was elected the first chancellor of Jamia.
• Mohammad Mujeeb, under whose leadership Jamia Millia Islamia became a Deemed University on 9 June 1962.

The foundation committee of the Jamia Millia Islamia also included Kifayatullah Dehlawi, Hussain Ahmad Madani, Syed Sulaiman Nadwi, Abdul Haq, Abdul Bari Firangi Mahali, Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, Sanaullah Amritsari, Muhammad Iqbal, Syed Mahmud and Saifuddin Kitchlew in it.

Campus

The campus is distributed over a large area. Many of its buildings are being modernised.

The university’s scenic cricket ground, Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi Sports Complex, has hosted many important Tournaments and Indian women cricket matches. This ground also hosted the University Cricket Championship in 2013 Besides its seven faculties, the Jamia has centres 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 Third World Studies (ATWS). The Jamia offers undergraduate and postgraduate information and technology courses. Jamia Millia Islamia joined the green campaign and installed 2,250-kilowatt solar panels on the campus.

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.

In 2017 Najma Heptulla was appointed as the Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia. In 2019 Najma Akhtar (academic) was appointed as the first woman vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia.

Faculties

Jamia Millia Islamia has nine 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 BA LLB (Honours) 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. The faculty secured the 9th rank among law schools in India as per NIRF LAW Ranking 2020.

Faculty of Engineering and Technology

The Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET) was established in 1985 with the Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering departments. Departments of Electronics & Communication Engineering, Applied Sciences & Humanities, and Computer Engineering and Aeronautics, as well as a University Polytechnic degree (1996) were added subsequently. The faculty offers regular courses and continuing programmes.

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. 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.

Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics

Jamia Millia Islamia is the only Central university having the full-fledged Faculty of Architecture & Ekistics. The architecture program was started in the Year 2001-2002. This Faculty has the Department of Architecture which offers two degree courses in Architecture, six Masters courses and PhD.

Courses Offered:

• B. Arch (regular and self-financing)
• M. Arch. (Architecture Pedagogy)
• M. Arch. (Building Services)
• M. Arch. (Health Architecture)
• M. Arch. (Recreation Architecture)
• M. Arch. (Urban Regeneration)
• M. Arch. (Ekistics)
• PhD.

Faculty of Humanities and Languages

This Faculty has nine departments offering programmes in PhD, M Phil (pre-PhD), postgraduate, undergraduate, diploma and certificate courses.

• Arabic
• English and Modern European Languages
• Tourism and Hospitality
• Hindi
• History and Culture
• Islamic Studies, Islamic studies has been a subject at Jamia Millia Islamia since its inception. It was instituted as a separate department in 1988. The department has been headed by scholars like Zayn al-Abidin Sajjad Meerthi. The department publishes an annual magazine, Sada e Jauhar.
• Persian
• Urdu
• Turkish Language & Literature
• French Language & Literature
• Sanskrit

Faculty of Fine Arts

This Faculty has six departments offering programmes in PhD, Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), diploma and certificate courses.

• Painting
• Sculpture
• Applied Arts
• Art Education
• Graphic Art
• Art History & Art Appreciation

The campus has an art gallery named after the Indian painter M. F. Hussain.

Faculty of Social Sciences and commerce & business management

This Faculty has seven departments

• Psychology
• Economics
• Adult & Continuing Education
• Political Science
• Sociology
• Social Work
• Commerce & Business Studies

The College of Social Science is based around Gulistan-e-Ghalib and is commonly referred to as the Main Campus.

Faculty of Natural Sciences

This Faculty has eight departments:

• Physics
• Chemistry
• Mathematics
• Geography
• Bioscience
• Computer Science
• Bioinformatics Infrastructure Facility
• Biotechnology

Faculty of Education

This Faculty specializes in quality training and education to budding teachers through two departments:

• Educational Studies
• Institute of Advanced Studies in Education (Formerly Dept of Teacher Training and Non-Formal Education).

Academics like Farida Abdulla Khan are serving this faculty.

Centers

AJK Mass Communication Research Center

The Mass Communication Research Centre was established in 1982 by Anwar Jamal Kidwai, then vice-chancellor (later chancellor) of Jamia Millia Islamia.

Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

The mission of the Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (CNN) is to promote forefront basic and applied 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.

Centre for Management Studies

The Centre for Management Studies presently offers three programmes: Ph.D in Management, MBA (full-time) Programme, and M.B.A. (International Business) Programme.

Centre for European and Latin American Studies

The Centre for European and Latin American Studies (CELAS) offers Certificate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma in five languages viz. French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Russian. All the Language courses offered at CELAS are part-time courses. Apart from the above-mentioned courses, CELAS also offers M.Phil/PhD in European Studies/ Latin American Studies. Occasionally, professors from different countries come and teach the above-mentioned languages.

Notable among these is the MA in Mass Communication offered by the AJK Mass Communication and Research Center:

• FTK-Centre for Information Technology An internet facility is available for the faculty members, staff, research scholars, and students.

Other centers

• Dr. Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies
• FTK-Centre for Information Technology
• MMAJ Academy of International 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 Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences
• Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research
• Centre for Theoretical Physics
• India – Arab Cultural Centre
• Centre for Culture Media & Governance
• Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences
• Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy
• Central Instrumentation Facility
• 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
• Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE)
• Multidisciplinary Centre for Advanced Research and Studies

Schools

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Jamia Millia Islamia also imparts education from nursery to senior secondary level.

• Balak Mata Centres
• Gerda Philipsborn Day Care Centre
• Mushir Fatma Jamia Nursery School
• Jamia Middle School
• Jamia Senior Secondary School
• Syed Abid Husain Senior Secondary School
• Jamia Girls Senior Secondary School Delhi

Academic profile

Library

The main central library of the University is known as Dr. Zakir Husain Library with its collection of about 400,000 artifacts — including books, microfilms, periodicals volumes, manuscripts, and rare books. Certain halls are dedicated to them. The library is open to all bonafide students of Jamia Millia Islamia. Besides this, there are subject collection in libraries of some faculties and centres.

Rankings

Jamia Millia Islamia has been ranked 538 out of 1100 universities worldwide by Round University Ranking. Jamia Millia Islamia has been ranked at 3rd position among the top 25 Central Universities and at 17th rank among top 100 universities by Outlook-I Care India University Rankings 2019. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked it 601-800 globally in the 2020 ranking 192 in Asia in 2020 and 195 in Times Higher Education Emerging Economies University Rankings 2021. It has ranked on 192 position among the top 200 Universities in Asia category by the QS Asia Ranking 2020, ranked125 among the universities in BRICS countries by the QS BRICS Ranking 2019 and ranked on 751-800 position in QS World University Rankings in the 2022 list.

It was ranked 16th in India overall by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2020, 10th among universities, 9th in law ranking, 10th in architecture ranking, 28th in the engineering ranking and 34th in the management ranking.

The Faculty of Law was ranked 6th in India by Outlook India‘s “India’s Top 30 Law Colleges In 2019” and 14th in India by The Week‘s “Top Law Colleges 2019”.

Notable alumni and faculties

Since its inception, Jamia Millia Islamia has produced notable alumni. Notable alumni in Bollywood include Shah Rukh Khan, Mouni Roy; in journalism include Arfa Khanum Sherwani, Barkha Dutt, Anjana Om Kashyap; in politics include Ampareen Lyngdoh, Kunwar Danish Ali; in Cricket include Virendar Sehwag. It has also produced notable scholars including Mohammad Najeeb Qasmi.