Patna: Affiliation will not be provided or renewed from the next session to colleges that have no common rooms or separate washrooms for girls, Governor Satya Pal Malik announced during Patna University's convocation ceremony on Sunday.

Malik, who is also the chancellor of state universities, addressed the ceremony organised at the Bapu Sabhaghar auditorium of Samrat Ashoka Convention Hall.

"The university should work towards providing better infrastructure facilities, especially for girl students. From the next academic session, colleges without separate washrooms and common rooms for girls will lose their affiliation."

The diktat doesn't apply to Patna University as all its colleges are constituent institutions but the message was loud and clear to the other universities in the state.

The governor stressed the importance of higher education for girls, saying no society could develop without development for women.

In the vein of development, vice-chancellor Rash Bihari Prasad Singh administered an oath to the students on not promoting dowry, child marriage besides supporting prohibition.

Among the 41 postgraduate students receiving gold medals at the ceremony, 26 were women.

Vandana Singh, one of the students who received her degree, said: "It is good that Patna University has introduced such a practice where students have to take oath against such social evils."

Chief minister Nitish Kumar had pointed out a couple of months ago that Bihar was second to Uttar Pradesh in dowry-related crimes.

In 2016, as many as 987 cases of dowry-related deaths and 4,852 cases of dowry-related atrocities were registered in Bihar.

Goa Governor Mridula Sinha - chief guest at the Patna University convocation - focused on promoting higher education. She administered another oath to the students on protesting atrocities against women and promoting cleanliness and hygiene among others.