NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday appointed Prof Mazhar Asif as the new Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia University, the Union Ministry of Education revealed. The appointment, made under the powers conferred by the Statutes of the Jamia Millia Islamia Act, 1988, was communicated through a letter from Shreya Bhardwaj, deputy secretary to the Government of India, to the Registrar of the university.
Currently a distinguished faculty member of the School of Languages at Jawaharlal Nehru University, 53-year-old Prof Asif will assume his new role for a term of five years, according to the university procol.
Prof Asif is a connoisseur of as many as seven languages including Assamese, Bhojpuri, English, Hindi, Persian, Urdu and Vajjika. He has also authored seven books, including Aitihasic Patabhumit Asomor Aitijyamandita Islamdharmi Sakal (History of Assamese Muslims) and Tarikh-e-Aasham (A Persian Chronicle).
Notably, the post of Vice-Chancellor had been lying vacant since the previous V-C Najma Akhtar’s tenure ended on November 12, 2023. Prof Mohammad Shakeel had been serving as the Officiating V-C of the university from May 22, 2024.
This has been the first time the top post of Jamia Millia Islamia was being occupied by an interim officer for such a long duration. According to an officer from the university, “Earlier, the education ministry took a maximum of six months to appoint a regular Vice-Chancellor. This time, an officiating V-C has been running the university for almost a year. This is something that had not happened before.”
Prof Asif’s name has been making the rounds as the new Jamia Millia V-C for the last one week, while the education ministry was waiting for the President to make the announcement.
According to Prof Asif’s profile on the JNU website, he is a member of the drafting committee for the National Education Policy and serves on the National Monitoring Committee for Education. He has also been a part of the NAAC peer review team. He holds an experience of 27 years in teaching and 10 years in administration.