NEW DELHI: First woman vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), Najma Akhtar has been selected for the Padma Shri award. Akhtar will be one of the 28 Indians, who will be conferred with the award in the field of literature and education by President Ram Nath Kovind, at a ceremonial function, which is held at Rashtrapati Bhawan every year.
Akhtar (67) who was appointed as Jamia Vice Chancellor (VC) in April 2019, scored a historic double – not only was she the first woman to hold the post, but she was also the first woman to head any central varsity in the national capital.
She has previously served as the VC of University of Kashmir and headed the department of Educational Administration at the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) for 15 years.
Akhtar said that she is grateful that her work was recognised and thanked both the PM and the President.
“I will accept this award just not for myself, but on behalf of my colleagues. Everyone works hard, but not everyone’s work reaches the recognition they may deserve. I thank the PM and the President for recognising my work, especially, the President, who entrusted me as the first woman VC of the university,” she said.
Besides her, three others from the field of literature and education, from Delhi, have been selected for the award including – Tara Jauhar, J K Bajaj and Dilip Shahani.