University par excellence

Jamia Hamdard (deemed university) has created a niche for itself in health, allied health sciences and para medical courses along with the promotion of female literacy in the country. It has secured A Grade, the highest, given by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous body set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Education Times speaks to the Vice-Chancellor Siraj Hussain on the evolution of the university, its courses and the rising health sector.
How did the university originate?
Jamia Hamdard was founded by late Janab Hakeem Abdul Hameed as a charitable organisation which was later amalgamated into a deemed university in 1989.
What are the courses on offer?
There are graduate programmes in pharmacy, nursing, unani medicines and surgery, computer applications, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Post Graduate programmes are in biotechnology and other biosciences, computer applications, business management, pharmacy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, Unani medicine and Islamic studies. Nursing and midwifery, medical lab technology, X-ray, operation theatre techniques and pharmacy come under diploma courses. Doctoral programmes are conducted under various faculties.
There are Centres for Federal Studies, History of Medicine and Science. There is an in-campus hospital - Majeedia.
How is the university different from others?
Our’s is a small, research-based university promoting female literacy extensively. The fee structure is reasonable. The master’s course in physiotherapy and occupational therapy are exclusive in North India. Extensive research in the health sector has attracted projects from the Ministry of Health, Department of Biotechnology and other funding agencies for us.
What is the institution-industry interaction?
We are actively conducting programmes with Ranbaxy. The first on the list is a Ph D programme in pharmaceutical medicine and Ranbaxy conducts students assisted experiments in the chemical pharmacology unit of the hospital. Overall placements are excellent in the health sector and recently we have received inquiries for nurses from the US, the UK and Canada. Foreign students come to our hospital for internship too.
What new courses are you planning to introduce?
We are shortly introducing a two-year diploma course in operation and dialysis techniques and M Pharm in biotechnology. On anvil are master’s in mass communication and business administration with specialisation in the health sector.
Any bottlenecks in the existing system of education?
Our country has progressed in the higher education sector. I can foresee, we will be the providers of quality manpower to the world at large in the coming 20 years to 25 years.
Continuous upgradation of the university syllabus and the skills of the teachers is the need of the day. It is high time to come out of theories and examinations and focus on assignment, research and on the job training education.