Sudan and Jamia are set to enhance collaboration and educational exchange between their institutions. This mutual interest in strengthening academic partnerships was affirmed during a recent visit by Dr Mohammed Abdalla Ali Eltom, Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan, and Mohamed Ali Fazari, Counsellor at the Sudanese Embassy, to Jamia Millia Islamia.
Sudan and Jamia to boost academic ties
During their meeting with Prof Mazhar Asif, Vice Chancellor of Jamia, and Prof Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi, Registrar, discussions were held at the university’s Yasser Arafat Hall on exploring new avenues for cooperation between Sudanese higher education institutions and Jamia. This was interaction between Sudan and Jamia on the campus.
Following the felicitation of the Ambassador and Counsellor by the VC and Registrar of JMI, Prof Ushvinder Kaur Popli, Dean of International Relations, JMI formally welcomed the Sudanese delegation, and introduced JMI, its rich historical legacy, and provided an overview of the university’s current rankings and achievements. She discussed the long-standing friendly relations between India and Sudan, the humanitarian aid and diplomatic efforts extended by India over the years and how it paves the way to foster collaborations in the domain of research and teaching. She also welcomed the Head of the Department of Arabic, JMI, Dr Nasim Akhtar who joined the deliberations.
Sudan and Jamia: Eltom and VC Jamia shares thought
Dr Mohammed Abdalla Ali Eltom, expressing his satisfaction on his first visit to a central university in the capital, extended his congratulations to the university administration for the extremely high reputation that JMI holds on the world academic map. Following which Sudan and Jamia have decided to bolster their academic collaboration. He said Sudan has always been a beacon of education in Africa and that India and Sudan share a very old and historically cordial relationship that goes back to a time before Sudan became an independent country.
Dr Eltom said the two nations have in common a shared colonial experience and have both participated in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). He recalled that India was among the first countries to recognise Sudan after its independence and notably Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru paid a visit to Sudan. Dr Eltom expressed sorrow and deep anguish on the ongoing war and internal conflict situation in Sudan, stating that it has resulted in heavy death toll, loss of infrastructure and widespread devastation of his country. Therefore, the way to address the challenges that lie ahead is through education, the Ambassador said. Adding that “education is needed more in times of crisis and war”, Dr Eltom said he was committed to intensifying academic cooperation between India and Sudan. He expressed his happiness that a large number of Sudanese students are able to pursue higher education in India due to scholarships granted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). And Sudan and Jamia future collaboration to provide opportunity to Sudanese students in India.
Prof Saima Saeed, Foreign Students’ Advisor (FSA) JMI presented a detailed report on the world-class teaching and research at JMI that has significantly contributed to the university’s high national and international rankings. She emphasised on the resources that JMI provides to its large and diverse community of international students, hailing from over 31 countries. Prof Saeed discussed how the FSA office helps students from the moment they apply until they complete the admission and scholarship applications and then throughout their stay at JMI.
She explained how the FSA office acts as nodal centre, assisting international students to acclimatise to a new academic and cultural environment by providing bonafide certificates and documentation support, organising short-term English language courses, hosting orientation programmes, managing on-campus hostel accommodations for boys and girls, and guiding international students throughout their academic journey at JMI. Additionally, she highlighted that JMI has over the years become the institution of choice for African students seeking higher education overseas.
In his presidential remarks, VC-JMI Prof Asif said India-Sudan relations are marked not only by historical friendship but remarkable civilizational and cultural similarity. Emphasising that the ties between India and Sudan date back to ancient times, he said, “We are the products of two most important civilizations, the Nile and the Indus Valley civilizations.” Prof Asif said JMI was honoured by the presence of Ambassador Dr Eltom and averred that “JMI is not just a university but it is a fikr, a school of thought, and a movement.”
Prof Asif said the university houses the illustrious Department of Arabic, which is one of its oldest departments and has seminal and path-breaking work to its credit. Prof Asif informed the delegation that India is a land of tremendous cultural, religious and linguistic diversity, and therefore, all people feel at home in the country due to its plural character. He expressed his optimism that the two sides (Sudan and Jamia) would work towards signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) soon and collaborate in the areas of Islamic Studies, sharia, Science and Technology, Law and the teaching of Arabic language.
In his closing remarks, Prof Rizvi delved on the bilateral relations between India and Sudan, highlighting how the political, economic and trade ties between the two nations go a long way. And Sudan and Jamia educational cooperation will boost relationship further. He stated this meeting and the future course of cooperation in the form of an MoU will facilitate more active academic exchange between JMI’s various departments and Centres, especially, the Department of Arabic, Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, MMAJ Academy of International Studies and the Department of Islamic Studies.
Prof Rizvi emphasised India’s significant participation in peacekeeping operations in Sudan. He went on to say that given these historical and political ties, JMI hopes to actively cooperate with institutions of higher education in Sudan so as to pursue a long-term academic dialogue and meaningful research in some of these areas of mutual interest. Prof Rizvi added: “Such an academic cooperation will be significant, especially as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has time and again emphasised the need to strengthen relations between India and African countries.”
