JMI to simplify admission process, introduce new courses

New Delhi: In what comes as good news for students that wish to apply to several undergraduate courses atJamia Millia Islamia (JMI), the university has decided to simplify its admission procedure by bringing down the number of entrance tests.

The university has announced that instead of students having to sit in multiple entrance tests for each course, they would now be required to sit in only one commonentrance test in each discipline.

The university last year had around 50 entrance tests but would now have only eight entrance tests for undergraduate as well as postgraduate courses. In the Social Sciences group students interested in BBS, B.Com, economics, BA with computer application and hotel management will have to appear for only oneexamination. 

Similarly in group II, there will be only one entrance testfor subjects such as BA (Hons) Sociology, Political Science, Social Work and Bachelor of Arts. 

JMI Vice Chancellor Najeeb Jung said that theuniversity receives a large number of outstation candidates who have to appear and wait for several entrance tests. "For this reason, we decided to opt for common entrance tests which will save not only the time but also efforts by students," he said. 

As the new academic session is all set to begin at the varsity, it has also planned to introduce new courses. The BA programme that had been canceled last year is being reintroduced and the course structure has been revamped according to the Tripos Programme at the Oxford and Cambridge Universities. 

Najeeb Jung said that the course had been recast and the syllabus has been made better and relevant to the present times. The number of seats for the course has also been reduced. Earlier, the course could admit 190 students but now the number of seats has been reduced to 50.

Students who would wish to apply for the programme will have to choose three subjects out of history, geography, economics, public administration and political science and one subject from the professional courses. 

The university is also introducing other new courses such as M.Phil in Latin, American studies, European studies, MA in early childhood development, M.Tech. in earthquake engineering and M.Arch. in urban regeneration.

source:http://indiaedunews.net/Delhi/JMI_to_simplify_admission_process,_introduce_new_courses_13747/

Jamia to study 'minority institution' status for implementation

New Delhi: Jamia Millia Islamia said on Wednesday it will study the judgment by the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) granting it "minority institution" status and work out the modalities of its implementation. 

"The judgment does not in any way change the essential character of Jamia. The university has always had a commitment to national goals of social justice and secular ideals. It will continue to uphold these in the future too," university vice chancellor Najeeb Jung said.

The NCMEI on Tuesday granted "minority institution" status to Jamia Millia Islamia, giving it the right to reserve up to 50 percent of seats for Muslims.

The order could change the secular character of the central university as it will not have to provide a quota for OBCs and Dalits. 

Jamia currently has 22.5 reservation for SCs/STs, 25 percent for students from the Jamia school and 3 percent for the physically handicapped.

The NCMEI judgment put to end the almost five-year-long case on a petition filed by the Jamia Students Union, the Jamia Old Boys Association and the Jamia Teachers Association in 2006 contending the university was a minority institution and not obliged to implement any other quota following the government decision to implement 27 percent reservation for other backward classes (OBSs) in the university.

The Confederation of Muslim Education Institutions of India was an intervening party while the vice chancellor of the university, the human resource development ministry and minority affairs ministry were the respondents.

source:http://indiaedunews.net/Delhi/Jamia_to_study_'minority_institution'_status_for_implementation_13584/

Jamia is minority institution, rules commission

New Delhi: Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia university was on Tuesday granted "minority institution" status by NationalCommission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI), giving the institution right to reserve up to 50 percent of its seats for Muslims, annulling all other reservations.

"We hold that the Jamia Millia Islamia is a minorityeducation institution," ruled the three-member quasi-judicial body of the commission headed by Justice M.S.A. Siddiqi. The other two members of the body were Mohinder Singh and Cyriac Thomas.

Observing that the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) is a minorityeducation institution founded by the Muslims for the benefit of community, the commission said there was no reason for not giving it a minority institution status.

"We have no hesitation in holding that the Jamia was founded by the Muslims for the benefit of Muslims and it never lost its character as a Muslim education institution," it said.

"Jamia was established with the purpose of keeping Muslim education in Muslim hands entirely free from external control. The history leads to one conclusion that JMI was established by Muslims, for Muslims, though non-Muslims could be admitted," the judgment observed.

The judgment has put to end the almost five-year-long case on a petition filed by Jamia Students Union, Jamia Old Boys Association and Jamia Teachers Association in 2006 contending the institution was a minority institution and not obliged to implement any other quota following the government decision to implement 27 percent reservation for other backward classes (OBSs) in the university.

The Confederation of Muslim Education Institutions of India was an intervening party while the vice chancellor of the university, the human resource developmentministry and minority affairs ministry were the respondents.

"Government was trying to impose reservation on Jamia. Article 15 (5) of Indian constitution says that there cannot be any reservation in minority institutions. And Jamia is a minority institution as defined by the Article 30 which gives minorities right to establish minority institutions," Amber Qamaruddin, the lawyer representing the case on behalf of Confederation of Muslim Education Institutions of India, told the sources.

"It opens a way for establishing more minority institutions for Muslims without the fear that they may not be minority institution later. It will help in educating Muslims and bringing them in mainstream," Jamia Minority Status Co-ordination Committee convener Illyas Mallik said.

source:http://www.indiaedunews.net/Delhi/Jamia_is_minority_institution,_rules_commission_13566/

Exhibition titled 'Transformation' to be held at JMI

New Delhi: An exhibition titled "Transformation", organized by four students of the Jamia Millia Islamia(JMI), will be held at the university campus from February 21 to 26.

The students that are organizing the exhibition are from the Department of Art History and Art Appreciation at the varsity. They will be donning the roles of curators for the exhibition that is a part of the paper "History of Curational Practices", which is included in their syllabus.

Other institutions that will be participating in the exhibition include Delhi College of Art, GovernmentCollege of Art in Chandigarh, Tecnia Institute of Art and Design and Banaras Hindu University.

According to one of the student curators for the exhibition Pradeep K. Arya, as curators, their job will be to view various works, select those that will be displayed at the exhibition and provide their perspective on the exhibits by way of captions.

The students whose works have been chosen to be displayed at the exhibition were selected by the four student curators who had viewed all the entries and then chosen the ones that would be displayed.

The theme of the exhibition is "Transformation", which is a "metaphoric process which gets defined through various aspects of human life from birth to death".

The process of transformation while taking into account the social-political issues ofgender, class and caste will be explored by the show.

source:http://indiaedunews.net/Delhi/Exhibition_titled_'Transformation'_to_be_held_at_JMI_13556/