Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel on Thursday urged young women to focus on becoming “expert mothers” before aspiring to become IAS officers or teachers, saying professional success should go hand in hand with family responsibilities. Addressing the 41st convocation of a university in Kanpur, the 84-year-old Governor said education should shape character, strengthen family values and prepare students to contribute to society, not just help them earn degrees. She also encouraged women to continue their education and careers after marriage instead of giving them up.
Reports say that “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,” Anandiben Patel said. She added that daughters should not discontinue their education after marriage and should use their knowledge and skills for nation-building.
Anandiben Patel stresses parental involvement and values beyond classroom education
Speaking to students, parents and faculty members, Anandiben Patel, who is also the Chancellor of state universities, said parents should remain involved in their children’s lives even after they enter 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, as per reports. The Governor also expressed concern over drug abuse near university hostels. She said a monitoring team set up by the Raj Bhavan had uncovered cases where narcotics were allegedly being supplied through food delivery containers and added that the network was dismantled through administrative intervention.
Anandiben Patel links crimes against women to declining moral values
Reportedly, the Governor said education should not be judged only by degrees or marks and linked the rise in domestic violence and crimes against women to weakening moral values.
“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,” Anandiben Patel said.
During the convocation, the university awarded degrees to 1,07,713 students, with women winning nearly 82 per cent of the medals. Priya Yadav, a BSc Agriculture graduate, received the Chancellor’s Gold Medal along with four other medals after emerging as the university topper. The university also introduced digital certificates for graduating students.
Anandiben Patel continues focus on women’s health, self-reliance and social awareness
The Kanpur address comes days after Anandiben Patel made similar remarks at other university events. As per reports, on July 8, during a mother-daughter conference following 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, introduce courses on ‘garbh sanskar’ covering maternal nutrition, foetal development and healthy pregnancies, and run campaigns against child marriage and gender discrimination.
A day earlier, at the 24th convocation of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University in Lucknow, Anandiben Patel advised students to become financially independent before marriage, saying, “If you like someone, first become self-reliant, then get married.” Clarifying that she was not against love marriages, she urged students to take informed decisions and also called for improving teaching standards in government engineering colleges. Reiterating her message in Kanpur, she said education should remain closely connected with family responsibility, social values and personal development.
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Khalid Lateef is a Sub-Editor at NewsX Digital, specializing in Indian politics and global affairs. He also covers viral trending stories and major crime developments.
