Jamia varsity to set up four new departments in its centenary year

New Delhi (PTI): The Jamia Millia Islamia university will be opening four new departments in its 100th year, its Vice Chancellor Najma Akhtar said on Tuesday.

Kicking off the 99th Foundation Day celebrations, Akhtar appealed to students and staff to work towards taking the university to a new height in the centenary year. "The university would soon be opening four new departments -- design and innovation, environmental science, hospital management and elder care, and foreign languages," he told reporters.

"Jamia played a crucial role during the freedom struggle and in true sense it is a nationalistic institution where teachers are working hard to motivate students to work towards nation building. The foundation of the university itself was based on the spirit of nationalism," the vice chancellor said at the Foundation Day celebrations. A book written in Hindi titled "Jamia Aur Gandhi" by Jamia alumnus and journalist Afroz Alam Sahil was also released on the occasion. The university will also hold its annual convocation on Wednesday which will be attended by President Ram Nath Kovind and HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank'.

"The significant feature of convocation this year is that there are more number of girl medallists among the total of 350," the vice chancellor said. Out of the 350 students who will receive a gold medal from President Kovind on Wednesday, 183 are women.

The convocation ceremony is being held as a part of three-day celebrations of the university's 99th Foundation Day. During the three-day celebrations, the university will host several competitions such as street theatre, business idea generation and cultural programmes.