New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS) Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Talat Ahmad Wednesday said the university would work to bring madarsa students to mainstream education.

“We want to bring students of madarsa to the mainstream with the help of bridge courses, so they can get into B.A. and B.SC degrees directly. On Nov 11 we will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the ministry of minority affairs,” Ahmad said in a media interaction on the occasion of Jamia’s 94th Foundation Day.

The event would be celebrated until Oct 31, ending with the celebration of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

The government has decided to observe the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on Oct 31 as the ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ (National Unity Day) every year, as a mark of tribute to the efforts of free India’s first home minister to unite the country.

As Jamia holds a lot of importance for the local community, the Talimi Mela was also revived after five years.

“Talimi Mela marked a revival of the glorious tradition in Jamia Millia Islamia to benefit not only the students of Jamia but also people in the neighbourhood who look up to Jamia for their intellectual and academic empowerment,” Ahmad added.

For encouraging research, Ahmad elaborated on his new initiatives of giving Rs. 1 lakh grant to 20 young teachers for innovative research.

Rajya Sabha MP Karan Singh inaugurated the foundation day, and counselled the students to develop their body, mind, emotion and spirituality.

“For a healthy body, it was imperative to say a big ‘NO’ to alcohol and drugs and our mind which is exposed to tsunami of knowledge today, needs to be developed by distilling knowledge into wisdom. Our mind, should be receptive to assimilation of knowledge and should inculcate the habit of continuous interrogation,” he said in his address to the students and teachers.

Jamia Millia Islamia is a central university established in 1920.