About Aligarh Muslim University

Aligarh Muslim University

The university grew out of the work of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the great Muslim reformer and statesman, who in the aftermath of the Indian War of Independence of 1857 felt that it was important for Muslims to gain education and become involved in public life and government services in India. Raja Jai Kishan helped Sir Syed in establishing the university

The British decision to replace the use of Persian in 1842 for government employment and as the language of Courts of Law caused deep anxiety among Muslims of the sub-continent. Sir Syed saw a need for Muslims to acquire proficiency in the English language and Western sciences if the community were to maintain its social and political clout, particularly in Northern India. He began to prepare the foundation for the formation of a Muslim University by starting schools at Moradabad (1858) and Ghazipur (1863). His purpose for the establishment of the Scientific Society in 1864, in Aligarh, was to translate Western works into Indian languages as a prelude to prepare the community to accept Western education and to inculcate scientific temperament among the Muslims. The intense desire to ameliorate the social conditions of Indian Muslims led Sir Syed to publish the periodical, 'Tehzibul Akhlaq' in 1870.

In 1877, Sir Syed founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in Aligarh and patterned the college after Oxford and Cambridge universities that he had visited on a trip to England. His objective was to build a college in tune with the education system but without compromising its Islamic values. Sir Syed's son, Syed Mahmood, who was an alumnus of Cambridge prepared a proposal for an independent university to thee ˜Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College Fund Committee upon his return from England in 1872. This proposal was adopted and subsequently modified. Syed Mahmood continued to work along with his father in founding the college.

It was one of the first purely residential educational institutions set up either by the government or the public in India. Over the years it gave rise to a new educated class of Indian Muslims who were active in the political system of the British Raj. When viceroy to India Lord Curzon visited the college in 1901, he praised the work which was carried on and called it of "sovereign importance"

The college was originally affiliated with the University of Calcutta and subsequently got affiliated with the University of Allahabad in 1885. Near the turn of the century, the college began publishing its magazine, The Aligarian and established a Law School.

It was also around this time that a movement began to have it develop into a university. To achieve this goal, expansions were made and more academic programs were added to the curriculum of the college. A school for girls was established in 1907. By 1920 the college was transformed into the Aligarh Muslim University.

Sir Syed breathed his last on March 27, 1898, and was buried in the premises of the university mosque in Sir Syed Hall, AMU.

Centre For Distance and Online Education (CDOE)

The Centre for Distance and Online Education is an integral part of the University and an expression of the University’s concern and commitment for the spread of education in all strata of society and all parts of the country. The desire and demand for education exist in every section of society, but since Colleges and Universities cannot accommodate beyond a defined limit, many cannot find admission. There is also a large section of society that is unable to participate in the regular/ formal stream of education due to occupational, financial, or social constraints. Persons like these can get an opportunity to derive the benefits of education through online mode.

By taking advantage of recent developments in information and communication technologies to widen the reach of education and to enhance the quality of education through the use of multi-media methods of teaching and learning, the Centre aims at providing the students an opportunity to learn and appear for the examination of various courses which will be conducted by the University. Adopting flexible and innovative methods of education to ensure ‘independent learning’ to anyone, anytime and anywhere, the Centre offers programs of the study that are customized to meet the learning requirements of knowledge seekers as well as to ensure that they learn at their own pace and convenience. Within the financial means of University, due care has been taken to keep the cost of education low so that educationally backward sections can take advantage of University’s programs. The Centre for Distance and Online Education has a special commitment to the cause of Women’s education, particularly of the minority community, among those who are educationally and economically deprived section. Given an opportunity to study at home supported with study materials, women can benefit immensely from this program.