JNU’s Professor Mazhar Asif will now serve as the 16th Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, succeeding previous VC Najma Akhtar, whose tenure ended in November 2023.
Professor Mazhar Arif from Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) School of Languages, was on Thursday appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia. As per an official statement by the Union Ministry of Education, President Murmu, in her capacity as visitor, has appointed Professor Arif as the 16th vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) for five years.
“The president, in her capacity as the visitor of Jamia Millia Islamia, has appointed Professor Mazhar Asif, School of Languages, JNU, as the vice chancellor of Jamia for five years from the date on which he enters upon his office or until he attains the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier,” the statement said.
Who is Professor Mazhar Asif?
Born on January 2, 1971, Professor Mazhar Asif is a career academician, with a PhD in Persian language from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and a Post-Doctorate from UGC.
A JNU alumnus, Professor Asif has previously served on executive Councils of both the JNU and the Maulana Abulkalam Azad National Urdu University, and was a member of the drafting committee for the new National Education Policy (NEP) in 2020.
The veteran academician has also held leadership roles in national education initiatives, such as the National Institute of Open Schooling and the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language.
Besides his distinguished teaching career, Mazhar Asif has written nine books, published in Persian, English, and Assamese, including a comprehensive Persian-Assamese-English dictionary. Additionally, Professor Asif has presented more than 20 research papers at national and international conferences, reflecting his active engagement in academic discourse.
He is currently a Professor at the Centre for Persian & Central Asian Studies at JNU’s School of Language Literature & Culture Studies.
Professor Mazhar Asif will now serve as the 16th Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, succeeding previous VC Najma Akhtar, whose tenure ended in November 2023, leaving the post vacant.