Jamia Millia Islamia

1)Jamia Millia Islamia, an institution originally established at Aligarh, India in 1920 became a Central University by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1988. In Urdu language, Jamia means ‘University’, and Millia means ‘National’.

2)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.

3)It’s growth from a small institution in the pre independence India to a central university located in New Delhi -offering integrated education from nursery to research in specialized areas-is a saga of dedication, conviction and vision of a people 

Historical background  of Jamia Millia Islamia

1)Under the colonial British rule, two dominant trends joined hands and contributed towards in the birth of Jamia. One was the anti-colonial Islamic activism and the other was the pro independence aspiration of the politically radical section of western educated Indian Muslim academics. 

2) The anti-colonial activism signified by the Khilafat and the pro-independence aspirations symbolised by the non-cooperation movement of the Indian National Congress helped to harness creative energies and the subsequent making of Jamia Millia Islamia. Rabindranath Tagore called it “one of the most progressive educational institutions of India”.

3)Responding to Gandhiji’s call to boycott all educational institutions supported or run by the colonial regime, a group of nationalist teachers and students quit Aligarh Muslim University, protesting against its pro-British inclinations. The prominent members of this movement were Maulana Mehmud Hasan, Maulana Mohamed Ali, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, and Abdul Majid Khwaja.

Foundation of Jamia Millia Islamia

The Foundation Committee met on 29 October 1920. It comprised of the following members:

  • Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari (Delhi)
  • Mufti Kafayattullah (Delhi)
  • Maulana Abdul Bari Farang Mahali (UP)
  • Maulana Sulaiman Nadvi (Bihar)
  • Maulana Shabbir Ahmed Usmani (UP)
  • Maulana Husain Ahmad Madni (UP)
  • Chaudhury Khaleeq-uz-zaman (UP)
  • Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan
  • Tasadduq Husain Khan (UP)
  • Dr. Mohammad Iqbal (Punjab)
  • Maulana Sanaullah Khan Amritsari (Punjab)
  • Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew (Punjab)
  • Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (Bengal and Bihar)
  • Dr. Syed Mehmood (Bengal and Bihar)
  • Saith Abdullah Haroon Karachiwale (Sindh, Bombay and Hyderabad)
  • Abbas Tyabiji (Sindh, Bombay and Hyderabad)
  • Sait Miyan Mohammad Haji Jaam Chhotani (Sindh, Bombay and Hyderabad)
  • Maulavi Abdul Haq (Sindh, Bombay and Hyderabad)

Foundation of Jamia Millia Islamia

The known freedom fighter and Muslim theologian, Maulana Mehmud Hasan, laid the foundation stone of Jamia Millia Islamia at Aligarh on Friday, 29 October 1920. 

 Shifting of Jamia to Delhi

1)Hakim Ajmal Khan, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari and Abdul Majeed Khwaja—the first trio—supported by Gandhiji shifted Jamia from Aligarh to Karol Bagh, in New Delhi in 1925. 

2) In Jamia, Dr. Zakir Husain, was offered a salary of Rs. 100. His two other friends with European qualifications were offered Rs 300 each.One of the first steps they took was the introduction of the hugely popular evening classes for adult education. 

3)This movement was later to become, in October 1938, an institution called Idara-i Taleem-o-Taraqqi. It kept growing so popular that separate rooms had to be built to accommodate the students.

4)On 1 March 1935, the foundation stone for a school building was laid at Okhla, then a non-descript village in the southern outskirts of Delhi. In 1936, all institutions of Jamia, except Jamia Press, the Maktaba and the library, were shifted to the new campus.

5) The basic emphasis of Jamia was on evolving innovative education methods. This led to the establishment of a teacher’s college (Ustadon ka Madrasa) in 1938. In 1936, Dr. M.A. Ansari passed away. On 4 June 1939, Jamia Millia Islamia was registered as a society.

6)After the attainment of Independence, Jamia continued to grow as an academic institution with a difference. Many foreign dignitaries made it a point to visit Jamia Millia Islamia during their visits to New Delhi. Among those who visited Jamia include Marshal Tito (1954), king Zahir Shah of Afghanistan (1955), crown prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia, king Reza Shah Pehlavi of Iran (1956) and prince Mukarram Jah (1960).

Jamia Millia Islamia as a  University

1)In 1962, the University Grants Commission declared the Jamia a ‘deemed to be University.

2) The School of Social Work was established in 1967. In 1971, Jamia started the Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies, to honour Dr. Zakir Husain, who had passed away in 1969.

3) BE course in Civil Engineering commenced in 1978.

4)In 1981, the faculties of Humanities and Languages, Natural Sciences, Social Science, and the State Resource Centre were founded. 5)In 1983, it started the Mass Communication Research Centre and the Centre for Coaching and Career Planning. 

6)In 1985, it established the Faculty of Engineering & Technology and the University Computer Centre. Academic Staff College and the Academy of Third World Studies followed in 1987 and 1988.

7)By a Special Act of the Parliament, Jamia Millia Islamia was made a central university of India in December 1988. In the list of the Faculties, i.e. Education, Humanities & Languages, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences. Engineering & Technology, one more Faculty Faculty of Law, was added in 1989. Many new courses and programmes at UG and PG levels have since been added.

8)Besides its Nine faculties, the Jamia has a number of centres of learning and research, like AJK-Mass Communication Research Centre (MCRC), Academy of International Studies etc. The Jamia is also marching ahead in the field of Information Technology (IT). It offers various undergraduate and postgraduate IT courses. Apart from this, the Jamia has a campus wide network which connects a large number of its departments and offices.