First become an expert mother, then go for IAS: UP Governor's convocation message
Anandiben Patel said women should aspire to become "expert mothers" before pursuing careers as IAS officers or teachers, while urging them to continue education and work after marriage.
Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel on Thursday said women should strive to become "expert mothers" before aspiring to become IAS officers or teachers, stressing that professional success should not come at the cost of family responsibilities.
Addressing the 41st convocation at a university in Kanpur, 84-year-old Patel urged young women to continue their education and careers after marriage while contributing to their families and society.
Speaking to students, parents and faculty, the UP Governor, who is also the Chancellor of state universities, emphasised family values, parental responsibility and character-building, saying education should extend beyond academic achievement.
"Whether you become an IAS officer or a teacher, first become an expert mother. Everyone should know how to cook the food prepared at home," she said, adding that daughters should not discontinue their education after marriage and should use their knowledge and skills for nation-building.
Patel also urged parents to remain actively involved in their children's lives even after they join schools and colleges.
"Parents should know what their children are doing after they enter educational institutions. Even a small lapse in supervision can adversely affect their future," she said.
Expressing concern over drug abuse around university hostels, the Governor said a monitoring team constituted by the Raj Bhavan had detected instances where narcotics were allegedly being supplied through food delivery containers, adding that the network was dismantled through administrative intervention.
Linking the rise in domestic violence and crimes against women to declining moral values, Patel said education should not be measured solely by degrees and marks.
"If degrees are increasing but society continues to witness such crimes, it reflects the true state of our education. Moral values are as important as academic knowledge," she said.
The university conferred degrees on 1,07,713 students during the convocation, with women securing nearly 82 per cent of the medals. Priya Yadav, a BSc Agriculture graduate, received the Chancellor's Gold Medal along with four other medals for topping the university.
Patel's remarks come amid a series of speeches in recent days focusing on women, family and social values. On July 8, at a mother-daughter conference held after the convocation of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University in Lucknow, she called for greater awareness of women's health, nutrition, anaemia, menstruation, menopause, pregnancy and maternal health.
She directed universities to conduct regular health check-ups for girl students, install BMI testing facilities, promote scientific awareness on women's health and introduce courses on 'garbh sanskar' covering maternal nutrition, foetal development and healthy pregnancies. She also called for campaigns against child marriage and gender discrimination.
A day earlier, at the 24th convocation of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University in Lucknow, Patel advised students to become financially self-reliant before marriage, saying, "If you like someone, first become self-reliant, then get married."
Clarifying that she was not opposed to love marriages, she urged young people to take informed decisions and stressed the need to improve teaching standards in government engineering colleges.
At the Kanpur convocation, Patel reiterated her message of balancing education with family responsibility, social values and personal development as the university also rolled out digital certification for graduates.