Lucknow: The 11th convocation of Dr. Shakuntala Mishra National Rehabilitation University was held under the chairmanship of the Governor and Chancellor of the state, Anandiben Patel. A total of 1615 degrees and 159 medals were awarded to the students in the ceremony, which included 59 gold medals, 50 silver medals and 50 bronze medals. All the degrees were uploaded on DigiLocker.
In the ceremony, the Governor congratulated and wished all the degree and medal recipient students and their parents present and said that for a parent, it is a matter of joy and pride for their children to receive medals. She said that parents have to work the hardest to raise disabled children.
The Governor praised the inclusive education in the university for the general category and the disabled simultaneously and said that there should be separate awards for the disabled and the general public. Their merit should also be different. The Governor directed all the universities to upload the mark sheets of all the years along with the degree on DigiLocker.
She explained the need for implementation of Samarth Portal for enrollment, admission, exam results and other subjects in the university. She said that a healthy educational environment should be created by removing middlemen in the education system. Welcoming the chief guest of the ceremony, Padma Shri, Muralikant Rajaram Petkar, she told him that the university should show the film based on his life story to the students so that they can be inspired and encouraged.
The Governor said in his convocation address that the Prime Minister of the country, Narendra Modi believes that to make the world better and inclusive of disabled people, proper opportunities should be provided to the disabled people.
She said that the disabled people have a special talent and creativity given by nature. She said that in the cultural history of India, the examples of Rishi Ashtavakra and Surdas still inspire us and give a positive direction to life. Describing the role of disabled people in the progress and development of India as important, the Governor said that today India does not need any introduction in the field of para sports. She appreciated the special training given by the university to promote sports activities among the disabled people.
While praising the best performance of Indian players in Paris Paralympics, the Chancellor said that the players of Uttar Pradesh have also proved that there is no dearth of talent in our state. Congratulating these players, he wished them a bright future and said that the Divyang players have proved with their amazing talent and strong will power that disability never becomes a hindrance to achievements.
Referring to the provisions made in the general budget for the Divyangjan, the Governor said that an important part of the budget is dedicated to the national program for the welfare of the Divyangjan and directed the university to prepare projects and use the budget and ensure that the students benefit from it. She described the university as the place of knowledge yagya in the form of education and said that the university should reach villages and Anganwadis.
Describing India as a country symbolizing religious harmony, tolerance, knowledge and culture, the Governor said that India has shown the direction of knowledge to the world for centuries and even today our country is an important center of knowledge for the world. In this context, she gave the example of the great Chinese philosopher Fa-Hien and said that due to his hunger for knowledge and respect for India, he travelled to India on foot even at the age of 62 to search for the Buddhist text Vinayapitaka. The Governor said that today the countries of the world are learning from India about the importance of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and joint family.
Describing India as a sea of knowledge, the Governor said that Nalanda and Takshila universities, which were in ruins for years, were restarted due to the efforts of the Hon’ble Prime Minister. Emphasising on education in mother tongue, the Governor said that under the National Education Policy, provision has been made for education in mother tongue till class V.
She said that if India has to become a global knowledge superpower, then education in mother tongue will have to be promoted. The Governor appealed for a tree plantation campaign in the name of ancestors and forefathers on the occasion of Pitru Paksha fortnight starting this month.
On this occasion, the Governor provided 200 Anganwadi kits to enrich Anganwadi centres, courtesy of the University and District Administration Lakhimpur Kheri. Out of these kits, 100 kits were distributed with the cooperation of the University and 100 kits with the cooperation of the District Administration Lakhimpur Kheri.
