More girls than boys among medals winners

AHMEDABAD: When Gujarat University holds its 67th convocation on Wednesday, girls will outnumber boys among winners of medals and scholarships.

Of the 248 medals on the line for those who score the highest marks in a subject or discipline, 182 medals will go to girls. They make up 74% of all medal recipients. Similarly, among students who have secured scholarships, girls make up 78%.

Chandani Kapadia, a law student, will win the highest number of medals, 8, this year. In the arts faculty, 22 girl students will receive 54 of the 64 medals the university confers. There are only four boys on the list of toppers. In the science faculty, 41 of 53 medals will go to girls. In the commerce faculty, girls will be awarded 13 out a total of 17 medals.

In the medicine faculty, where boys outnumber girls, of the 63 medals, girls will receive 35. Shivani Bhatt is to get five medals, the highest number for a medical student this year. Priya Patel will get six medals for scoring the highest marks in the MA Gujarati course, with 76%.

Her father, Balkrushna, is a school bus driver. She has three siblings and found it difficult to manage her studies because of their meagre resources.

She wants to get into academics. On the success of girls, she said, “I thought I would be the only one to receive a medal, but when I checked I was surprised to see so many girls being so successful. Girls work harder and are more focused.”

The university is to confer degrees on 52,514 students this year. Industrialist

Pankaj Patel

will be the chief guest.