Gorakhpur: Uttar Pradesh Governor and Chancellor of Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology (MMMUT) Anandiben Patel on Wednesday said higher education should focus not only on awarding degrees but also on building character and social responsibility among students.Addressing the university’s 11th convocation ceremony, she said knowledge becomes meaningful only when it is used for the welfare of society and the nation. HPCL chairman and managing director Vikas Kaushal attended the event as the chief guest, while Technical Education minister Ashish Patel was the guest of honour.A total of 1,522 students were awarded undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees during the ceremony. Twenty meritorious students received 46 gold medals for academic excellence. Vikas Kaushal was also conferred the honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) degree in recognition of his contributions to the corporate and technology sectors.Highlighting women’s increasing participation in higher education, the governor said 60% of the degrees were awarded to female students, compared to 40% to male students. She described this as a significant milestone in women’s empowerment and urged young women to acquire skills that would help them become self-reliant and contribute to the vision of a developed India.Patel also called upon universities to promote water conservation, energy efficiency and the use of solar energy. Referring to the five villages adopted by MMMUT, she urged the university to launch campaigns to make them drug-free.She also praised the cultural performances by students from government schools and announced that the inspirational stories presented during the programme would be compiled and published in book form.
