Aligarh Muslim University,Aligarh
The university grew out of the work of Sir Syed Ahmad
Khan, the great Muslim reformer and statesman, who in the aftermath of the
Indian War of Independence of 1857 felt that it was important for Muslims to
gain education and become involved in the public life and government services
in India. Raja Jai Kishan helped Sir Syed in establishing the university
The
British decision to replace the use of Persian in 1842 for government
employment and as the language of Courts of Law caused deep anxiety among
Muslims of the sub-continent. Sir Syed saw a need for Muslims to acquire
proficiency in the English language and Western sciences if the community were
to maintain its social and political clout, particularly in Northern
India . He began to prepare foundation for the formation of a
Muslim University by starting schools at Moradabad (1858) and Ghazipur
(1863).His purpose for the establishment of the Scientific Society in 1864, in
Aligarh was to translate Western works into Indian languages as a prelude to
prepare the community to accept Western education and to inculcate scientific
temperament among the Muslims. The intense desire to ameliorate the social
conditions of Indian Muslims led Sir Syed to publish the periodical, 'Tehzibul
Akhlaq' in 1870.
In 1877,
Sir Syed founded the Muhammadan Anglo Oriental
College in Aligarh
and patterned the college after Oxford and Cambridge universities that he had visited on a trip to England Cambridge prepared a proposal for
an independent university to the ‘Muhammadan
Anglo-Oriental College
Fund Committee’ upon his return from England
It was one
of the first purely residential educational institutions set up either by the
government or the public in India India
The
college was originally affiliated with the University
of Calcutta and subsequently got
affiliated with the university
of Allahabad Law
School
It was
also around this time that a movement began to have it develop into a
university. To achieve this goal, expansions were made and more academic
programs added to the curriculum of the college. A school for girls was
established in 1907. By 1920 the college was transformed into the Aligarh Muslim University
Sir Syed
breathed his last on March 27, 1898 and was buried in the premises of the
university mosque in the Sir Syed Hall, AMU.
Fact
Spread
over 467.6 hectares in the city of Aligarh ,
Uttar Pradesh, Aligarh
Muslim University India
and from different countries, especially Africa, West Asia and Southeast Asia . In some courses, seats are reserved for
students from SAARC and Commonwealth Countries. The university is open to all
irrespective of caste, creed, religion or gender. It ranks 8th among the top 20
research universities in India
In spite
of the establishment of a numbers of universities and institutions of higher
learning all over the country, this university has been maintaining its
national and international character as an institution of excellence. It has
more than 28,000, students, 1,342 teachers and some 5,610 non-teaching staff on
its rolls. The university now has 12 faculties comprising 98 teaching
departments, 3 academies and 15 centres and institution. A special feature of
the university is its residential character with most of the staff and students
residing on the campus. There are 19 halls of residence for students with 80
hostels.
Apart from
the conventional Under graduate and Post graduate courses in Social Sciences,
Sciences and Humanities, the university keeps pace with the nations growth by
offering facilities for specialized learning in areas of technical, vocational
and inter- disciplinary studies. It has the Zakir Hussain College of
Engineering and Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Dr. Ziauddin
Dental College, Institute of Ophthalmology, Food Craft Institute,
Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Centre of Advance Study in History,
Department of West Asian Studies, Centre of Wildlife, Centre for South African
& Brazilian Studies, Department of Islamic Studies, Academic Staff College,
Women's College, Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College, University Polytechnic –separately for boys and girls and Computer Centre
etc.
The
university has opened two new centres of study outside Aligarh
w.e.f. 2011 at Murshidabad, West Bengal and
Mallapurum at Kerala state. At present teaching facility of MBA and Integrated
Law course is available in these two centres. It is projected that in ten years
down the time line both the centres will have more than 10,000 students each in
advance study and research.
The
university maintains one primary, seven High schools (including one for the
Visually Challenged), and two Senior Secondary schools for boys and girls. The
University also offers courses in Indian, Oriental and Western Languages. The
medium of instruction in the university is primarily English.
Games and
sports have been a distinctive feature of the AMU. The Cricket, football,
hockey, Tennis, Basketball, Skating and Horse Riding teams have excelled at the
inter-University level. Perhaps this is the only university with a Horse Riding
Club.
The
General Education centre is the nucleus of most of the extra-curricular
activities and caters to the cultural environment. This centre organizes these
activities through its various clubs viz., the AMU Drama, the Hindustani and
western Music Club, the Literary Club and the Hobbies Workshop etc.
It is
proudly Islamic and proudly Indian institution: a living symbol of composite
culture of India
FACULTIES
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) draws students from
all corners of the country as well as foreign countries, especially Africa,
West Asia and Southeast Asia . In some courses,
seats are reserved for students from SAARC and Commonwealth Countries.
The University has 12 Faculties viz. Agricultural
Sciences, Arts, Commerce, Engineering & Technology, Law, Life Sciences,
Medicine, Management Studies & Research, Science, Social Sciences,
Theology, Unani Medicine, each comprising of several Departments of Studies.
The University also maintains a number of Colleges,
Institutes, Centres and Schools. Notably among them are Women's College, Centre
of Professional Courses, Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Zakir Hussain
College of Engineering & Technology, Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College, Jawaharlal
Nehru Medical College, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmad Dental College, Institute of
Ophthalmology, Centre for Advanced Studies in History, Centre for Women
Studies, Centre for Nehru Studies, University Polytechnic University, Women's
Polytechnic, K.A. Nizami Centre for Quranic Studies, Schools including one for
the visually challenged.
