Introduction
Jamia-e-Urdu was established at Agra under the aegis of a literary forum Bazm-e-Iqbal on 16 April, 1939 ... as an examining institution. Accordingly Adeeb, Adeeb-e-Mahir, and Adeeb-e-Kamil examinations were held for the first time at 16 centres in November 1939. The total number of candidates appearing at these examinations was only 158 including 17 women candidates.
.. Today the number of examination centres has gone `upto 700 and correspondingly the number of candidates has also risen to 1,50,000.
Jamia-e-Urdu examinations have been recognised by several state governments, Education Boards and State and Central Universities for admission to higher degree courses. The Uttar Pradesh government ... recognised the degrees of Jamia-e Urdu in 1993 (for) employment.
Subsequently thousands of Jamia degree-holders have not only been employed in schools but also in government offices as Urdu translators.
The popularity of Jamia-e-Urdu is growing even abroad. Already new examination centres have been established in Mauritius, Qatar (Doha), Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) and there is a move to open examination centres even in various countries of Europe.
... Jamia-e-Urdu has attracted the attention of scholars and educationists from other communities ... Among the Hindu Inminaries associated with Jamia one may mention the names of Pandit Hriday Narain Kunzru, Dr. Tej Bahadur Sapru, Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar, Rajnath Kunzru, Anand Narain Mulla, Malik Ram, Khushwant Singh, Gopi Chand Narang and Kuldip Nayar.
Original office-bearers
Nawab Md. Sayeed Khan Chhatari Patron
Dr. Tej Bahadur Sapru Chancellor
Dr. Molvi Abdul Haq Pro-Chancellor
Maulvi Abdul Hasan Vice-Chancellor
Khan Bahadur Akhter Adil Pro-Vice-Chancellor
Pandit Rajnath Kunzru Treasurer
Mohd.Tahir Farooqi Secretary
Besides these office-bearers, the names of Prof.Rashid Ahmad Siddiqi (Aligarh), Syed Masood Hasan Rizvi (Lucknow), Dr. Zakir Husain (Jamia Millia, Delhi), Syed Zahiruddin Alvi (Aligarh) and Syed Mohd. Ali Shah "Maikesh" (Agra) as members of the Executive Committee will remain immortalized in the annuals of Urdu education in India.
The Executive Committee approved the following Rules and Regulations for the governance of Jamia-e-Urdu in 1939:
Name Jamia-e-Urdu, Agra
Objective To conduct examination in Urdu language and literature.
Powers (i) Jamia-e-Urdu will conduct examinations in accordance with rules and regulations.
(ii) Nominal fee will be charged from candidates appearing at the examinations.
(iii)Every eligible candidates, irrespective of caste, creed or colour will be entitled to appear in the examinations of Jamia.
Office-bearers (iv) Vice-Chancellor, Pro-Vice- Chancellor, Secretary and Auditor (All the four posts will be honorary).
Executive Council It will be consisting of the following:
(i) Office-bearers of Jamia
(ii) Heads of Dept. of Urdu of Aligarh, Lucknow, Allahabad and Banaras University.
(iii)Convenor, Urdu Board of studies, Agra University
(iv) Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi.,
(v) Five members of Bazm-e-Iqbal, Agrá. Five members Nominated by the Vice-Chancellor.
(vi) Five scholars by the executive Council.
Education Board It will be consisting of the following:
i) Three members of Executive Council.
ii) Two external members.
iii) Pro-Vice-Chancellor will be chairman and its Secretary.
In 1947 ... the founder of the Jamia, Tahir Farooqi opted for Pakistan (and) shifted the Jamia to Aligarh under the charge of Syed Zahiruddin Alvi, Lecturer in the Department of Urdu, Aligarh Muslim University.
The first meeting of the Council was held at the residence of Prof. Rashid Ahmad Siddiqi on 13th September, 1948 with Dr. Zakir Husain as Vice- Chancellor of Jamia ...
In 1974 new Rules and Regulations were approved:
Name Jamia-e-Urdu
Headquarter Aligarh
The Objectives of the Jamia were defined as:
(i) To take appropriate steps for the development and promotion of Urdu language and literature,
(ii) To develop Urdu as mother-tongue,
(iii) To conduct examinations in Urdu language and literature and to keep great national interests and high academic standards in mind while framing course,
(iv) To make arrangement for correspondence courses and to develop Jamia as an "Open University",
(v)To make arrangement for conducting research on different aspects of Urdu language and literature and to utilize its best results,
(vi) To make arrangement for teaching and training students in different arts and crafts through the medium of Urdu,
(vii) To work out schemes for the teaching of Urdu through the medium of other regional languages.
Since then the Jamia has achieved stability as an institution both academically as well as financially and has also established its unique identity.
Jamia-e-Urdu is an educational and examining institution, though it is not directly concerned with teaching ...
The following Universities Ed.Euucation Boards and Central as well as State Governments have recognised Jamia Urdu examination, namely,
Universities :
Agra, Aligarh Muslim, Allahabad, Jammu, Ka shmir, Rajasthan, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Sri Venkateswar, Banaras Hindu,Jamia Millia Islamia, Guru Nanak, Punjab, Magadh, Calcutta Universities.
Education Boards of :
Delhi, Rajasthan, MP.
Central and State Governments:
Governments of India, AP, Delhi, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh. Mauritius has also recognited the Jamia.
The new course introduced in 1976 thus, qualifies successful candidates for appointment as Urdu teachers in Junior and High Schools.
Jamia is a self-financing and autonomous institution Its income is largely derived from the fee collected from candidates ... It does not seek any aid from Government or Semi-Government bodies, but it has accepted donations from philanthropists and well wishers of Urdu time to time.
Jamia Campus
Jamia is located in a building near Sir Syed Nagar, Medical Road, Aligarh since 8 January 1960 ... Sir Syed Book Depot was established in 1950 ... Since January 1953 Jamia brings out its monthly journal "Dars" for the guidance of Jamia examinations candidates.
In 1959 the Title was changed to "Adeeb". (It ceased publication in 1965). It was started again in April 1977. The first convocation was held in1954 with Khwaja Ghulam-us Saiyadain as the Chief Guest. Since then the Convocations have been addressed by:
Khwaja Ghulam-us-Saiyadain, Gopi Nath 'Amin', Pandit Rajnath Kunzru, Dr. Syed Mehmood, Maulana Hifzur Rehman, Dr. Gopala Reddy, Acharya Jugal Kishore, Pandit Anand Narain Mulla, Syed Masood Husain Rizvi, Malik Ram, Mustafa Rashid Sherwani, Mohd. Yunus Saleem, Hayatullah Ansari, Syed Abida Husain, Syed Sajjad Zaheer and Prof. Rashid Ahmad Siddiqi Justice Hidayatullah addressed the last convocation in 1977.
Humra Quraishi On Hinduisation of Education
. 'Desecularisation' has already begun in schools in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and more recently in UP .. , The National Commission for Minorities ... worries about the impact of this trend on the education of minorities ... Well known economist and head of NCAER's human resource development programme area Abu Saleh Shariff ... appears convinced that introducing a Hindutva element into the curriculum will further push back minority education: By default Muslim children will go to the Madrasa fold, which is not what the community or its leaders want. And … this withdrawal trend would affect more girls than boys, because of various social
factors" Besides, as he points out, there is a fundamental argument against homogeneity in education; it goes against not just the guarantees in the Indian Constitution, but also the trend the world over which is to offer multiple choices of students. Surely flexibility in the education system will only encourage students to learn more and more from different faiths? ...
Conversation with teachers confirms a certain unease over the whole issue. Clearly, there is a fear that once sectarian feelings ... implanted in young minds, they would go beyond the Hindu, Muslim and Christian borders and engulf the entire country. As Professor Kamal Mitra Chenoy of JNU's School for International Studies says, "This rigidity is not only an attack on the minority rights but it is also against globalisation, for this will disable your own students from functioning at the international level ... To delay acting on the future of our education might be to wake up and find our children and grandchildren already turned into narrow-minded citizens who do not know what it is to grasp the beauty of different languages or learn from the different faiths of the world .. (Source: The Times of India, 12 December, 1998)
