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 Boluwatif...