A very constructive meeting was held at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) on January 9, 2025, to deliberate on setting up a Centre of Excellence at the University. The Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Mazhar Asif, along with the Registrar, Prof. Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi, Dr. Satya Prakash Prasad (OSD to VC), the Prof. In-charge of the Residential Coaching Academy, and Principals of Jamia Schools, engaged with Satyam Jindal, Senior Manager of Bharat International Global (BIG) – a joint initiative of NSDC, the Government of India, and Physics Wallah, an Educational Technology Company. The proposed initiative seeks to introduce Pathshala Model Classes for students in grades 9 through 11, as well as for individuals preparing for the UPSC Civil Services and other competitive examinations.
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Physics Wallah has proposed a collaborative partnership with JMI to implement the Hybrid Education Model (Pathshala-2 Teacher Model) in its schools of excellence. This initiative emphasises personalised test preparation and mentorship for competitive examinations such as JEE, NEET, and NDA, while also fostering STEM education and skill development. Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the model aims to address the diverse academic and professional needs of students.
The meeting focused on critical components for implementing the Hybrid Education model for the benefit of the students of Jamia Schools and aspirants of UPSC and other competitive examinations. The Vice-Chancellor emphasised the significance of collaborative efforts in achieving academic and professional goals, while also highlighting the need for affordable, cost-effective, and high-quality education for students enrolled in Jamia Schools and the University.
In other development, a group of 14 faculty members from various Minority Serving Institutions and Community Colleges in the US called on the Vice Chancellor, Professor Mazhar Asif and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) faculty members to explore academic and research opportunities with the university. The delegates represented diverse fields like Behavioural Sciences, Ethnic and Race Studies, Urban Studies and Planning, Physical Science, Legal Studies, Natural and Physical Sciences, Geography, History and Philosophy.
JMI Vice Chancellor, Professor Mazhar Asif welcomed the delegates and invited them to engage with JMI faculty members to explore academic and research collaborative opportunities in various domains of knowledge. Speaking on the occasion, Professor Mazhar Asif underscored the significance of academic and research collaboration in the contemporary world to bring competencies together for the benefit of humankind as visualized in the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 that the Government of India unfolded. He further emphasized the importance of learning global languages to bring diverse cultures together to make the world culturally rich through convergences of civilizational values emanating from different physical and cultural spaces.
The visit of the delegation took place under the aegis of the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) with which JMI has had a long-standing partnership to grant research and academic affiliations to American scholars and academics to promote Indic Studies besides organizing joint academic activities. The delegation was jointly led by Dr. Purnima Mehta, Director General, AIIS, New Delhi and Prof. Amar Sawhney, Miami Dade College, Florida.
The delegates visited various departments and centres with their potential matches to interact with the faculty members.
The delegation had a luncheon meeting with the JMI Vice Chancellor that was attended by JMI faculty members and other senior officials of the university.
Prof. Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi, Registrar, JMI thanked the visiting delegation for their visit and hoped that their engagement with the faculty members would result in substantive academic gains for the partnering institutions for the upgradation of teaching and learning processes.
