NEW DELHI: Professor Najma Akhtar was on Thursday, 11 April, appointed as the vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, making her the first woman to hold the charge 99 years after the inception of the educational institution.
A widely acclaimed educationist, Professor Akhtar is also the first vice-chancellor of any central university in Delhi, the varsity said.
“In exercise of powers conferred under Statutes of Jamia Millia Islamia Act, 1988, the President of India, in his capacity as the Visitor of the JMI, has been pleased to appoint Prof Najma Akhtar, NIEPA, New Delhi as the vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, for a period of five years,” an official order said.
She spearheaded international educational administrators’ course for senior officials from 130 countries for more than 15 years at the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA).
Najma has four decades of academic scholarship in educational leadership.
She has established and successfully developed first state level management institute (SIEMET) at Allahabad for developing educational administrators for the country, the varsity said.
She has held the posts of Controller of Examination and Director Academic Programs at the Aligarh Muslim University. At IGNOU, she led many distance educators capacity building courses at national and international levels.
A gold medallist of the Aligarh Muslim University, she has earned international accolades, including Commonwealth scholarship and the prestigious National Science Talent scholarship.
Najma has been actively consulted by UNESCO, UNICEF, DANIDA and other international organisations.
Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla is the chancellor of the varsity, who also happens to be the first woman to hold the post.
The varsity had been functioning without a VC after Talat Ahmad resigned from the post last year to join as the head of Kashmir University.
A visitorial inquiry was also initiated against him during his tenure in connection with alleged financial and administrative irregularities, but the charges were not proved.