Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel on Thursday said women should focus on becoming "expert mothers" before aspiring to become IAS officers or teachers, stressing that professional achievements should not come at the expense of family responsibilities.
Addressing the 41st convocation ceremony at a university in Kanpur, the 84-year-old Governor encouraged young women to continue pursuing education and careers after marriage while also contributing meaningfully to their families and society.
Speaking before students, parents and faculty members, Patel, who also serves as the Chancellor of state universities, highlighted the importance of family values, parental responsibility and character-building, saying that education should go beyond academic success.
"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. She also urged daughters not to discontinue their education after marriage and encouraged them to use their knowledge and abilities for nation-building.
Patel further advised parents to stay actively involved in their children's lives even after they enter schools and colleges.
"Parents should remain aware of what their children are doing after joining educational institutions. Even a small lapse in supervision can negatively impact their future," she said.
Raising concerns about drug abuse around university hostels, the Governor said a monitoring team formed by the Raj Bhavan had uncovered instances where narcotics were allegedly being supplied through food delivery containers. She added that the network was later dismantled through administrative action.
Referring to rising incidents of domestic violence and crimes against women, Patel said declining moral values were a contributing factor and argued that education should not be evaluated solely through degrees or academic performance.
"If educational qualifications are increasing but society continues to witness such crimes, it reflects the real condition of our education system. Moral values are just as important as academic knowledge," she said.
During the convocation, the university awarded degrees to 1,07,713 students, 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 additional medals after emerging as the university topper.
Patel's remarks come amid a series of recent speeches centred on women, family and social values. On July 8, while addressing a mother-daughter conference held after the convocation of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University in Lucknow, she called for greater awareness about women's health, nutrition, anaemia, menstruation, menopause, pregnancy and maternal well-being.
She directed universities to organise regular health check-ups for female students, install BMI testing facilities, promote scientific awareness on women's health issues and introduce courses on 'garbh sanskar' focusing on maternal nutrition, foetal development and healthy pregnancies. She also advocated campaigns against child marriage and gender discrimination.
A day earlier, while addressing the 24th convocation of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University in Lucknow, Patel advised students to attain financial independence before getting married.
"If you like someone, first become self-reliant, then get married," she said.
Clarifying that she was not opposed to love marriages, the Governor encouraged young people to make informed life choices and also emphasised the need to improve teaching standards in government engineering colleges.
At the Kanpur convocation, Patel reiterated the importance of balancing education with family responsibilities, social values and personal development as the university also introduced digital certification for its graduating students.
