Najma Akhtar

Najma Akhtar is an education administrator and the first woman vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia in its more than hundred-year history. She was named for the Padma Shri in 2022 in the field of literature and education, from Delhi ^[1].

Training

Akhtar was born on 13 November 1953 ^[2]. She won gold medals for her MSc in botany and her MA in education, and also holds an MPhil in botany and a PhD in education ^[2]. A Commonwealth fellowship took her to the universities of Warwick and Nottingham for training in administration, and she also studied at UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning in Paris ^[2].

Building institutions

At Aligarh Muslim University she was the first woman controller of examinations and director of academic programmes ^[2]. At NIEPA she led an international course for education administrators, and she has headed national and international research projects, including as team leader of UNESCO research ^[2].

As vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia she worked to modernise its campus and to carry out the aims of the National Education Policy 2020, and encouraged women into leadership, with many statutory posts held by women ^[2]. She built partnerships with universities in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia, and has served on national committees including the expert group on the National Education Policy ^[2].