The Rector of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Mr Kehinde Alabi, has urged the Federal Government to establish more Polytechnics to solve the nation’s development problems.
Alabi equally said there is no need for the competition between University and Polytechnic graduates, noting that both institutions were created for different purposes.
He stated this on Monday at a press conference to mark the institution’s combined 8th convocation ceremony scheduled for Thursday 26th March, 2026.
Alabi who noted that the convocation would involve graduates from the 2020/2021 to 2024/2025 academic session, said Polytechnic graduates were trained to provide the technical manpower needed to enhance the development might of industries.
He 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.
“In advanced countries, Polytechnic graduates are earning more than university graduates in any technical aspect. Except the federal government gets its development priorities right, we still need more Polytechnics and we do not need this competition at all because both sets of graduates were trained for different areas.”
Highlighting some of his achievements since he was appointed as the substantive Rector in 2024, Alabi said the Polytechnic under his management has witnessed an increase in infrastructure and human resources in all the departments of the institution.
He also said the school created Career Development and Skills Acquisition Directorates to increase and boost the career progression and acquisition of relevant skills by the students.
On activities lined up for the event, Alabi noted that the convocation lecture titled, “Entrepreneurship in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities for Wealth Creation and National Development”, will be delivered by a Professor of Business Administration from the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti.
Alabi appreciated the governor of the state, Ademola Adeleke, for the regular payment of salaries and emoluments to the Polytechnic staff.
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