With an aim to make Jamia Millia Islamia a national academic brand, Vice Chancellor (VC) Talat Ahmad on Wednesday marked the occasion of the university’s Foundation Day by introducing industry-based courses for students and choice-based credit system. Ahmad said, “My primary focus is to ensure that students and teachers are up-to-date with the evolving world.”
Ever since Ahmad took over as the VC earlier this year, there have been significant changes in the university in terms of communication between the students and teachers. Ahmad has been personally looking into the functioning of each department and suggesting ways to improve the teaching methods.
“I have been getting feedback from everyone, students and teachers. I’m working on highlighting our weaknesses so that we can overcome them. My aim is to ensure that teachers get a chance to move forward just as they help students do so,” said Ahmad who allowed teachers to do research while teaching.
He said, “In this way, teachers will themselves be up-to-date and will bring in a state-of-the-art kind of teaching into the university. There is also a possibility that through this research, that the teachers do, they can contribute to the country later and so can students since they are learning from them.”
Meanwhile, to give some incentive to teachers, Ahmad has also given 20 young teachers, Rs 1 lakh each for innovative research.
In this endeavour, Ahmad is also promoting that students who have studied from JMI come back and do fellowships where they can do their PhDs while teaching students. He added that he is also enrolling various funding agencies into Jamia for research.
Since the maximum number of students from a single university to clear the Civil Services is from Jamia, Ahmad said that he would be increasing the number of seats in their coaching centres that will be reserved for Jamia students. He further added that probably even ex-Jamia students could avail that benefit, but that decision is not yet taken. “We want to create a competitive but friendly atmosphere,” he said.
For the past few months, the issue of Jamia holding elections has also been doing the rounds. However, Ahmad said that since the matter was still sub judice, they cannot confirm it. He added, “I support the formation of a student union in the university, but I don’t feel that the formation of such a union would benefit the students in any special manner. But nonetheless, if elections are held and a union is formed we will ensure that the lyngdoh Committee rules are followed and the atmosphere is not spoilt. The students who join election fray must be good in academics as well. The main point is that even this should benefit in the development of the student. However, it’s not like a union would lead to prosperity or anything in that context. It will just be an extracurricular activity.
Ahmad had a few months back spoken about their medical college being made as well. However, in that he said that they are still identifying land for it, as the one they had chosen is stuck in some muddle. “But the plan has been approved by UGC and is with the MHRD. It is positively moving forward and we are doing everything in its favour,” he said.