Prof Mazhar Asif, Vice Chancellor Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and Prof Mahtab Alam Rizvi, Registrar JMI recently paid a visit to Governor of Bihar Arif Mohammed Khan, to seek guidance and deliberate on various strategies for the development and progress of the university.
The Vice Chancellor and Registrar, JMI apprised the Hon’ble Governor about JMI’s outstanding achievements in teaching and research, including its high national and international rankings. They emphasised on the current administration’s focus on student welfare and Jamia’s commitment to ensuring that students, especially women, from socially, geographically, and economically marginalized sections of society are able to access high quality education so as to enhance their skills and transform their lives.
The Governor appreciated the efforts of the university administration in this direction and assured Prof Asif and Prof Rizvi of his full support. He encouraged the university to focus on imparting cutting-edge education and training to increase employability of students as well as the development of their social, moral and philosophical outlook.
The meeting of the VC and Registrar, JMI with the Governor of Bihar marked a fruitful dialogue aimed at enhancing JMI’s future capabilities so as to benefit its large academic community hailing from across the length and breadth of the country.
In another development, Prof Mazhar Asif inaugurated a newly set-up Mental Health Promotion Unit in the Department of Psychology, in the presence of the Registrar Jamia, Prof Mahtab Alam Rizvi, and the Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof Mohd Muslim Khan. A large number of Jamia functionaries and Heads of Departments along with students joined the inaugural session.
The Mental Health Promotion Unit has been set up on the recommendations of the First National Wellbeing Conclave held in November 2024 at Hyderabad, organized by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India.
The Mental Health Promotion Unit in Jamia is a promotional unit, envisaged with the aim to carry out mental health sensitization activities and also offer initial psychological support to the students with mental health issues, through faculty members and research scholars.
A roster has been developed wherein research scholars and faculty members would be present in the Unit for any walk-in students with mental health issues. The Unit is equipped with a battery of tests and a directory of referral institutions where serious or severe cases can be referred to.
The Vice Chancellor expressed his happiness on the establishment of the Mental Health Promotion Unit and dedicated it to all the students of JMI. Stating that the unit recognises the significance of mental health of students in higher education institutions, he said that he was optimistic that students who face any mental health challenges would make use of this facility on campus. Prof Asif congratulated the Head of the Department and other faculty members for taking up such an important and meaningful initiative and also for volunteering for the counselling sessions.
Prof Rizvi also expressed deep satisfaction with the establishment of such a unit and congratulated the Department in its efforts to address mental health challenges. He advised that the facility be given wide publicity so that all JMI students are able to access its services. Similar views were expressed by the Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof Mohd Muslim Khan, and the Chief Proctor, Prof Naved Jamal, with both stressing on the importance of mental health facilities in a university setting. Prof Sheema Aleem, the Head of the Department, thanked all dignitaries for gracing the occasion and her colleagues for working hard to establish the comprehensive and significant facility.
