Jamia Millia Islamia Vice-Chancellor seeks President Droupadi Murmu's assistance to set up Department of Tribal Studies

Jamia Millia Islamia has sought President Droupadi Murmu's assistance in setting up a department of tribal studies in the university, an official said on Friday. During her meeting with Murmu, who is also the Visitor of the university, on Thursday, JMI Vice-Chancellor Najma Akhtar said that the university wants to set up a ‘Department of Tribal Studies and Development’ and a hostel for tribal students, the official said.

In view of the demand for JMI’s academic courses in countries like the Middle East where Indians reside in large numbers, Ms Akhtar also sought permission from the President for setting up offshore campuses of the varsity. This was the first meeting of the Vice-Chancellor with the president.

Ms Akhtar also invited Murmu to the upcoming convocation of the university. The Vice-Chancellor also told the President that JMI was granted A++ accreditation by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in 2021 (for a



period of 5 years) and it is amongst the top three universities of the country according to the Ministry of Education's National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

JMI has also made significant improvements in coveted international rankings like QS world university rankings, Times Higher Education (THE) and so on. Ms Akhtar also mentioned that faculty members have been receiving accolades at national and international levels including the Visitors Award.

She also sought permission from the president for setting up a Department of Modern Indian Languages, a Nursing College and a Faculty of Alternative Medicine at JMI, the official said. Considering the increase in the number of academic programmes, Ms Akhtar also requested Murmu for additional teaching and non-teaching positions at the university. The vice chancellor said that the university is very hopeful that it will get guidance and invaluable support from the Visitor in the coming years.