The Federal Government has been urged to establish more polytechnics across the country to accelerate national development and address the technical manpower shortage affecting industrialisation in Nigeria.
Kehinde Alabi, Rector of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, appealed on Monday during a press conference to announce activities marking the institution's eighth convocation ceremony, scheduled for Thursday, covering graduates from the 2020/2021 to 2024/2025 academic sessions.
Alabi emphasised that polytechnic education equips students with practical and technical skills essential for industrial growth, cautioning against discrimination between university and polytechnic graduates.
"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," Alabi stated.
He noted that in advanced countries, polytechnic graduates earn more than university graduates in technical areas, stressing that unless the Federal Government realigns its development priorities, the country still needs more polytechnics.
"There is no need for this competition because both sets of graduates were trained for different purposes," the Rector added.
Alabi announced that Yakib Afolabi of the Department of Business Administration, Federal University Oye Ekiti, would deliver the convocation lecture on Wednesday.
The lecture, titled 'Entrepreneurship in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities for Wealth Creation and National Development', would be chaired by Taiwo Asaolu, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilesa.
The Rector 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.
The eighth convocation ceremony will recognise graduates who completed their programmes across multiple academic sessions, with activities scheduled to commence on Wednesday with the convocation lecture before the main ceremony on Thursday.
