Polytechnics Build Creators, Universities Breed Job Seekers: The Nigerian Education Paradox

Photo sources: Osun State Polytechnic, Iree (left); Federal University Oye-Ekiti main gate (right).

By Victor Olubiye

In Nigeria today, one of the most debated topics in education circles is the widening gap between university and polytechnic graduates. While universities pride themselves on academic excellence and theoretical rigor, polytechnics are quietly raising a generation of self-reliant young Nigerians who can create, build, and sustain jobs in a country where unemployment remains an unending national crisis.

For students of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, education goes beyond lectures and PowerPoint slides. In the engineering workshop, students handle real machines. In the mass communication studio, budding broadcasters produce, record, and edit programmes. Fashion students cut, sew, and design their way into entrepreneurship even before graduation.

This practical-oriented system is what sets polytechnics apart. “Here, we are not waiting for anyone to employ us,” says Boluwatife, an HND II student of Business Administration at Osun State Polytechnic. “Our lecturers teach us how to make products, manage businesses, and sell ideas. We learn to survive and succeed after school.”

Indeed, the polytechnic curriculum was designed with Nigeria’s peculiar economic realities in mind — a nation with more graduates than jobs. It equips students with hands-on skills, ensuring they can either create small-scale ventures or immediately fit into technical roles across industries.

In contrast, many Nigerian universities — like the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), University of Lagos, and others — remain steeped in theory-heavy instruction. A typical university lecture involves note dictation, rote memorisation, and examinations that test memory rather than creativity.

At FUOYE, for instance, while students of Economics or Political Science spend years studying models and theories, few get the opportunity to apply these concepts in real-world situations. Upon graduation, most university students begin the predictable routine of searching for employment — often in sectors already saturated or declining.

“University education in Nigeria still follows colonial patterns,” says Dr. Tunde Akinlabi, an education policy analyst. “It was built to produce administrators and civil servants for a government system, not entrepreneurs for a developing economy. That is why many of our graduates today struggle to adapt to a labour market that no longer exists.”

Nigeria’s unemployment rate continues to rise, with the National Bureau of Statistics estimating youth unemployment and underemployment at over 40 percent. In this context, graduates who depend solely on certificates for jobs face a harsh reality — there are simply not enough jobs to go around.

Polytechnic graduates, on the other hand, are finding creative ways to survive. From photography to welding, fashion design to digital printing, their skills often become the foundation for micro-businesses that provide livelihoods for others.

In a small workshop in Iree, Osun State, two graduates of Mechanical Engineering Technology now fabricate parts for local motorcycles and farm machines. “We couldn’t wait for jobs,” one of them said proudly. “We created one.”

Nigeria’s education system urgently needs to rethink its priorities. The old hierarchy that places university degrees above polytechnic diplomas no longer fits today’s realities. Employers are now prioritising competence over certificates, creativity over compliance.

Experts have long called for a merger of the best of both systems — the theoretical foundation of the universities and the practical dynamism of the polytechnics. “If our universities incorporated more hands-on learning, and our polytechnics received equal funding and recognition, we’d have a stronger, more productive workforce,” argues Dr. Akinlabi.

To fix the imbalance, stakeholders must push for policies that encourage innovation, entrepreneurship, and technical mastery. Universities should integrate vocational training, while polytechnics should deepen research and development.

Ultimately, education should be about empowerment — the ability to think, create, and solve problems. Polytechnics are already doing that. Universities must catch up.

As Nigeria continues to battle unemployment and underdevelopment, the question remains: will the country keep producing graduates who seek jobs, or those who create them?