Jamia Millia Islamia appoints Najma Akhtar as first-ever woman vice-chancellor




Jamia Millia Islamia has appointed Najma Akhtar as its vice-chancellor, the first woman to hold the post in the university’s nearly 100-year-long existence. She replaces Talat Ahmad, who resigned from the post last year before completion of his tenure. Akhtar’s appointment as Jamia Millia Islamia’s vice-chancellor was approved by President Ram Nath Kovind, the university said Thursday.

Former union minister Najma Heptulla is the current chancellor of the university.

Following a selection committee meeting, the HRD ministry had sent three names to the president for taking a call on one. Along with Akhtar, two other names—Furqan Qamar, secretary general of Association of Indian Universities, and S.M. Ishtiaque, a professor at IIT Delhi—were sent to the president earlier this year.

The President of India is the visitor (head) of all central universities.

Jamia Millia Islamia was originally established at Aligarh in 1920 and became a central university by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1988.

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