A total of 256 students have graduated with first-class degrees from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, out of the 3,039 students expected to receive first degrees at the institution’s 37th convocation ceremony.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, disclosed this on Friday at a press conference ahead of the convocation ceremony scheduled to hold next week.
She said 2,152 of the graduating students were male, while 887 were female.
Giving a breakdown of the graduates’ degree classifications, Oladiji said, “Out of 3,039 that would graduate from this university, 256 students finished with first class, second class (upper division) – 1,717, while a total of 964 finished with second class (lower division) and 102 with third class.”
She said the graduates were products of sustained academic engagement, practical learning, research and personal development.
“These graduates represent the outcome of sustained academic engagement, practical learning, research and personal development. Our responsibility has been to provide them with the knowledge, skills and intellectual discipline required to compete effectively, contribute to their communities and create solutions wherever their careers may take them,” she said.
The vice-chancellor added that the university was committed to ensuring that its graduates acquired skills beyond academic qualifications through entrepreneurship education, practical training, research exposure and innovation-driven learning.
“We are equally committed to ensuring that a FUTA education goes beyond the acquisition of certificates. Through entrepreneurship education, practical training, research exposure and innovation-driven learning, we continue to encourage students to become creative thinkers, responsible professionals and potential employers of labour,” she said.
Oladiji said the university aimed to produce graduates capable of contributing to existing industries and creating opportunities in technology, agriculture, manufacturing, environmental management and digital services.
Speaking on the institution’s academic development, she said FUTA remained committed to maintaining its standards while ensuring that its programmes responded to industry needs and national development priorities.
“Our academic development efforts are directed at ensuring that our programmes remain relevant to industry, responsive to national development priorities and consistent with the standards expected of a technology-focused university.
“We are also conscious of the need to strengthen research-led teaching, encourage interdisciplinary engagement and provide students with opportunities to translate classroom knowledge into practical applications,” she said.
The vice-chancellor also disclosed that more than 7,000 students of the university had benefited from the Federal Government’s Nigerian Education Loan Fund scheme.
“As of today, talking about NELFUND, over 7,000 students of the Federal University of Technology have benefited from NELFUND, and we have many more students that are trying to enrol also to be on NELFUND. This is an initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that I think is working,” she said.
She said the university would continue to strengthen its academic programmes, research and innovation to contribute to Nigeria’s technological and economic development.
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