Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) (अलीगढ़ मुस्लिम विश्वविद्यालय, علی گڑھ مسلم یونیورسٹی) is a residential academic Central University in India founded in 1875 by social reformer, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. He realised the acute need among Indian Muslims for modern education and, to achieve his goal, started a school named Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College (MAO College) in 1875. It was designed to train Muslims for government service in India and prepare them for advanced training in British universities. The school later became the Mohammedan Anglo-oriental College and finally Aligarh Muslim University in 1920 . It is one of the first institutions established during the British Raj.
The establishment of MAO College in 1875 marks a key event in the educational and social history of Muslims of Subcontinent. Its establishment is considered as the first significant response of the Indian Muslims to the challenges of post Indian Mutiny of 1857 era. It became the principal Muslim Institution in India. In the early 20th century, this institution exploded into political activity. Prior to 1939, faculty and students supported an all-India nationalist movement. After 1939, political sentiment shifted toward support for a Muslim separatist movement. Students and faculty mobilised behind Mohammed Ali Jinnah and the Muslim League hence became an epicentre of Pakistan Movement..
Spread over 467.6 hectares in the city of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, Aligarh Muslim University offers more than 300 courses in the traditional and modern branches of education. It draws students from all corners of the world, especially Africa, West Asia and Southeast Asia. In some courses, places are reserved for students from SAARC and Commonwealth countries. The university is open to all irrespective of caste, creed, religion or gender. It ranks 5th among the top 20 research universities in India. Alumna of the university are popularly known as Aligarians. (The more generic Aligarhiya is used to refer to inhabitants of Aligarh who have not studied at AMU.) With more than 30000, students, about 1400 teachers and some 6000 non-teaching staff on its rolls, it has 12 faculties comprising a wide spectrum of academic disciplines (95 departments, 5 institution and 13 centres) and 18 halls of residence with 73 hostels. The University offers 325 courses. The university has the Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Dr. Ziauddin Dental College, Institute of Ophthalmology and Food Craft Institute, Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Centre of Advance Study in History, Centre of West Asian Studies, Centre of Wildlife, Academic Staff College, Women's College, Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College, University Polytechnic for boys and girls, separately and Computer Centre. The languages taught here include English, Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Kashmiri, French, Turkish, German and Russian. The medium of instruction is primarily English. AMU is perhaps the only university in the country, which has high schools in its domain: It has as many as five high schools including one for the visually handicapped, and two senior secondary schools for boys and girls.
