The Rector of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Kehinde Alabi, has called on the Federal Government to establish more polytechnics across the country to accelerate national development.
Alabi made the appeal on Monday during a press conference to announce activities marking the institution’s eighth convocation ceremony, scheduled for Thursday.
The ceremony will cover graduates from the 2020/2021 to 2024/2025 academic sessions.
He emphasised that polytechnic education equips students with practical and technical skills essential for industrial growth.
Alabi cautioned against discrimination between university and polytechnic graduates, noting that both are trained for complementary purposes.
Alabi said, “Polytechnic graduates are those who have the practical skills that can enhance the development of industries.
“The reason why we have many polytechnics is to produce the technical manpower needed for industrialisation, but unfortunately, we now witness a development crisis and a reduction in the number of industries as a result of the energy crisis. This is what led to competition between polytechnic and university graduates.”
He added, “In advanced countries, polytechnic graduates earn more than university graduates in technical areas. Unless the Federal Government realigns its development priorities, we still need more polytechnics. There is no need for this competition because both sets of graduates were trained for different purposes.”
Alabi also announced that Yakib Afolabi of the Department of Business Administration, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, will deliver the convocation lecture on Wednesday.
The lecture, titled ‘Entrepreneurship in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities for Wealth Creation and National Development’, will be chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilesa, Taiwo Asaolu.
He further highlighted the creation of a Career Development and Skills Acquisition Directorate at the polytechnic, aimed at enhancing students’ career progression and equipping them with relevant skills for the modern workforce.
