PRAYAGRAJ, July 18 -- Uttar Pradesh governor and chancellor Anandiben Patel on Friday said women are setting new benchmarks in higher education, highlighting the growing participation and excellence of girls as she presided over the 21st convocation of Uttar Pradesh Rajarshi Tandon Open University (UPRTOU) at the Atal Auditorium on the university's Saraswati Campus. A total of 30,886 students who cleared the December 2025 and June 2026 examinations were awarded degrees, including 17,788 men and 13,098 women. The university also conferred 26 gold medals, of which 20 went to women and six to men. Folk and classical singer Padma Shri Malini Awasthi delivered the convocation address, while cabinet minister Nand Gopal Gupta 'Nandi', higher education minister Yogendra Upadhyay and minister of state for higher education Rajani Tiwari attended as guests of honour. The governor digitally released degree certificates and marksheets by uploading them to DigiLocker. Addressing the gathering, Anandiben Patel said education is not merely a means of earning a degree but a powerful instrument for bringing positive social change. She urged students to use their education not only for employment but also for innovation, solving societal problems and nation-building. Expressing satisfaction over the academic performance of women, she noted that 12 of the 18 meritorious students honoured this year were girls. "Whenever daughters receive equal opportunities, they excel in every field and bring glory to society and the nation," she said, describing the achievement as a reflection of the growing strength of Nari Shakti in New India. Appreciating the university's adoption of DigiLocker, Patel said digital issuance of degrees had saved time, money and resources. She added that the effective use of the Samarth Portal in state universities had so far resulted in savings of nearly Rs.200 crore, calling it an excellent example of digital governance. The governor also urged students to speak out against injustice, discrimination and social evils and contribute actively to social reform. Reviewing the university's functioning, she said institutional progress was possible only through honest assessment of shortcomings. She directed the university to improve cleanliness across its Saraswati, Ganga and Yamuna campuses, strengthen basic infrastructure and ensure optimal utilisation of available resources. Expressing concern over land erosion at the Yamuna Campus, she asked the university to take protective measures at the earliest. In her convocation address, Malini Awasthi said a convocation marked the beginning of a new journey guided by knowledge, values and life principles rather than the end of education. She urged students to embrace modernity while remaining rooted in Indian culture and traditions. Higher education minister Yogendra Upadhyay said the objective of education was not merely employment but nurturing responsible, disciplined and patriotic citizens capable of contributing to society and the nation. He described education as a lifelong process central to the Indian knowledge tradition. Minister of state Rajani Tiwari urged students to use their knowledge and values to illuminate the lives of their families, society and the nation, encouraging them to convert challenges into opportunities. Earlier, vice-chancellor Prof Satyakam welcomed the guests and presented the university's annual progress report. The Chancellor's Gold Medal was awarded to Ramya Singh, a BSc student of Dev Indravati Mahavidyalaya Study Centre, Ambedkar Nagar. Her mother received the medal from the governor on her behalf. Ramya emerged as the overall topper among all undergraduate and postgraduate students across faculties and won four gold medals, the highest by any student. The governor also distributed 500 educational kits on behalf of the university to Anganwadi centres in Prayagraj, Pratapgarh and Fatehpur....