NEW DELHI: The prestigious Jamia Millia Islamia University got its first ever woman vice-chancellor on Thursday, as President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Professor Najma Akhtar to the post. It is now the first central university in the national capital to have a woman V-C. “It is a progressive landmark in the history of educational leadership and a matter of pride for Jamia Millia Islamia,” read a statement issued by the varsity.
A gold medalist from Aligarh Muslim University, Akhtar earned top international honours, including the Commonwealth scholarship and the National Science Talent scholarship. Others who were shortlisted for the post were SM Ishtiaque of IIT-Delhi and Furqan Qamar, who is currently the secretary general of Association of Universities. She studied at prestigious international institutes such as University of Warwick and Nottingham, UK and IIEP Paris (UNESCO). She has been involved in collaborative research work with developing and developed countries.
As a successful Team Leader, she has encouraged and developed younger faculty as independent leaders. She has also been actively consulted by UNESCO, UNICEF, DANIDA and other international organizations in the conduct of their programmes and initiatives. With four decades of academic scholarship in educational leadership under her belt, Akhtar is also known to have spearheaded international educational administrators’ course for senior officials from 130 countries for more than 15 years at National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA).