By TCN News,
Aligarh: A group of academicians, mostly attached to Aligarh Muslim University, today sent a memorandum to Union Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Mr. Kapil Sibal urging him to take steps to declare Jamia Urdu, Aligarh as Urdu Open University.
While appreciating the initiatives taken by HRD Ministry for the development of Urdu such as launching of ‘Urdu Channel’, the intellectuals demanded more actions in this regard, especially some positive steps in favor of Jamia Urdu, Aligarh.
Notably, Jamia Urdu is an autonomous educational body which is providing education through Urdu medium since 1939. It has bestowed upon honorary degrees to Late Indira Gandhi, I. K. Gujaral and Late V.P. Singh. Its certificates/degrees are recognized by 62 Boards/States in the country.
They also demanded that Jamia’s degrees should be recognized at national level, as the Sachar Committee Report has also recommended to enhance status of Urdu in the country. Moreover, the government should include Jamia Urdu in the ‘Madarsa Modernization Scheme’. “It will be good if the government include Jamia Urdu, Aligarh also in the project and implement the scheme through Jamia Urdu, Aligarh,” they said.
The group handed over the memorandum to the district Magistrate of Aligarh to pass it to the HRD Minister.
Signatories to the memorandum included:
Prof. Humayun Murad (Scientist & Member AMU Court), Prof. Razaullah Khan (Professor, Deptt of Civil Engg., AMU), Dr. Md. Shahid (Ex-Secretary, AMUTA), Prof. Shaikh Mastan
(Professor, MIL, AMU), Prof. T. B. Chakraborty (Professor of Bengali, AMU), Johny Foster
(Famous Poet, Aligarh) and Jasim Mohammad (President, MBMC).