Fatima Jinnah Women University (Urdu: فاطمہ جناح وؤمن یونیورسٹی) is a publicuniversity in the neighborhood of Mall Road of Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan,[1][2] as well as in Old Presidency and Kachari Chowk.
History
Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) was founded on the initiative of then Chief Minister of Punjab Shehbaz Sharif.[3] It was inaugurated on 6 August 1998, by Nawaz Sharif during his second term as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Some women criticised the idea of segregated university for women specifically. Maleeha Lodhi while writing for The News International said "This kind of segregation fosters the forces of conservatism, not modernism."[3] The university began classes on 28 December 1998 and Najma Najam became the first vice-chancellor.[3] The first cohort of students graduated in September 2001.[4]
Recognition
Regarded as the first women's university in Pakistan, it is ranked at number 61 as of 2024,[5] down from 18 in the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan rankings of 2015.[6][1] Dr. Najma Najam, a neuroscientist, was the founding Vice-Chancellor of this institution.
The main building is Victorian, built as a residence by Sikh brothers Mohan and Sohan Singh. It became the Presidency of Pakistan around the mid-1960s. The rooms are steeped in history; personalities like Benazir Bhutto, Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry and President Habibullah Khan Marwat, President General Zia Ul-Haq have walked the corridors. Former Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif inaugurated it as a gift for the nation's daughters and their families on 6 August 1998.[1]
The Women Research and Resource Centre researches gender and social issues to reflect the academic and professional development of women in general and in the context of Pakistan's society in particular.[8]
FM Radio Services
Fatima Jinnah is host to an FM radio channel that is broadcast during university hours and operated in the department of Mass Communications.
