EDUCATION
Why men die earlier than women —WHO
The World Health Organisation has said that, globally, women live longer than men; and that the difference in the male-female lifespan is particularly stark in high-income countries.
This is contained in the WHO yearly analysis of global health statistics titled, World Health Statistics Overview 2019.
The study also sheds light on men’s inbuilt “biological frailty” and poor immune systems, which are said to be responsible for the miscarriage of male foetuses and death of male children in their first year of life.
The report, led by Dr. Richard Cibulskis, notes that the average life expectancy globally has increased by five-and-a-half years since the turn of the century, and that women outlive men everywhere.
“Whether it’s homicide, road accidents, suicide, cardiovascular disease – time and time again, men are doing worse than women,” Cibulskis notes.
Explaining the differences in life expectancy, WHO says a baby boy born in Africa in 2016 could expect to live to age 60, while a baby girl could expect to live to 63.
“Healthy life expectancy at birth is 53 for boys and 55 for girls,” the global body adds; noting, “But in Europe, the difference between boys and girls is much greater, as a boy born in 2016 could expect to live to the age of 74 and a girl to the age of 81.”
The reports says that healthy life expectancy is 66 years for boys and 71 for girls in wealthy countries.
Cibulskis laments that in general, men die from most things more than women, saying this is true in low and high income countries.
“But in low income countries, women have a greater risk of dying in childbirth; so, the maternal mortality rates skew the figures,” he said.
The reasons for the differences between men and women are three-fold, Cibulskis said, noting that men have an inbuilt “biological frailty” and poor immune systems which explain why more male foetuses are miscarried and why more boys die in their first year of life.
The lead author however notes that the main differences are due to environmental factors, as men are more likely to engage in risky behaviour such as smoking and alcohol consumption, and the fact that men go to the doctor less often than women.
In his discussion of the report, Peter Baker, director of Global Action on Men’s Health, said health services needed to be better designed around men.
“You could take the view that men are a bunch of idiots bent on self destruction but that is not true. Most men in the world don’t smoke or drink at dangerously high levels,” Baker argued.
Meanwhile, apart from the average increase from 66.5 years, to 72 years overall, the report’s findings also show that “healthy” life expectancy – the number of years individuals live in full health – increased from 58.5 years in 2000, to 63.3 years in 2016.
Differing attitudes to healthcare between men and women help to account for the discrepancy in life expectancy between the sexes, the report suggests.
In countries with generalized HIV epidemics, for example, men “are less likely than women to take an HIV test, less likely to access antiretroviral therapy and more likely to die of AIDS-related illnesses than women”, the study finds.
The same principle applies for tuberculosis sufferers, with male patients less likely to seek care than women.
The report also finds that of the 40 leading causes of death, 33 of them contribute more significantly to reduced life expectancy in men than in women.
EDUCATION
Education: List of Partially And Fully Funded University Scholarships Around The World
Below are lists of Universities in different countries, offering partially and fully funded scholarships, covering tuition fees, cost of living, books allowances and more:
If it is one of your life’s dreams to school outside of the shores of Nigeria, here are a list of partially and fully funded scholarships that can benefit you and make your dream come true.
Below are lists of Universities in different countries, offering partially and fully funded scholarships, covering tuition fees, cost of living, books allowances and more:
1. McGill University Scholarships In Canada 2025 (Fully Funded)
2. 5000 University of Toronto Scholarship in Canada (Fully Funded)
3. University of Calgary Entrance Scholarship In Canada (Funded)
4. Brock University Scholarship In Canada 2025 (Funded)
UN: Injustices Against Africa Must Be Corrected—United Nations’ Antonio Guterres
5. University of Ottawa Scholarships in Canada 2025 (Fully Funded)
6. York University International Scholarship In Canada 2025 (Funded)
7. Harvard Radcliffe Institute Scholarships In USA 2025 (Fully Funded)
8. Miami University Presidential Scholarships In USA 2025 (Fully Funded)
9. The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program In USA 2025 (Fully Funded)
10. University of Mississippi USA Scholarship 2025 (Funded)
11. Boston University Scholarships In USA 2025 (Funded)
12. Masters Scholarships At Delft University Netherlands In 2025 (Fully Funded)
13. Twente University Netherlands Scholarship 2024 (Funded)
14. Orange Knowledge Program In Netherlands 2025 (Fully Funded)
15. Erasmus University Scholarship In Netherlands 2025 (Funded)
16. Holland-Zuyd Excellence Scholarship (H-ZES) In The Netherlands (Funded)
17. Saïd Foundation Scholarships In UK 2025 (Fully Funded)
18. Commonwealth Shared Scholarship In UK 2025 (Fully Funded)
19. London South Bank University Merit Scholarship In UK 2025 (Funded)
20. UCL Global Masters Scholarship In the UK 2025 (Funded)
21. University of Aberdeen Global Scholarship In UK 2025 (Funded)
22. Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarship 2025 (Fully Funded).
EDUCATION
Admission: Age limit, university autonomy, Senate and discretionary powers of the universities (Part 2)
What we did at the meeting that we had with JAMB was to allow underage candidates this year and for it to serve as a kind of notice for parents. …JAMB will admit students who are below that age, but from next year, JAMB is going to insist that anybody applying to go to university in Nigeria meets the required age which is 18
By AARE AFE BABALOLA, OFR, CON, SAN, LL.D (Lond.)
NIGERIANS are in a state of uproar following the announcement by the Honourable Minister for Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman,that from 2025 the age for entering into tertiary institutions in Nigeria will be 18 years in accordance with the Nigerian Education Policy. This announcement was hinged on the 4-10-3-4 system of Nigeria Education Policy of 2013. Under the policy, it is true that application of the 4-10-3-4 system of education will put the age of entrance into tertiary institutions at 18 years. This system has been in existence for decades but was not enforced apparently because all previous governments were aware of the adverse effect on outstanding or gifted children.
To remedy its non-implementation of the education system over the years, the Honourable Minister of Education has announced that: “It is 18 (years). What we did at the meeting that we had with JAMB was to allow underage candidates this year and for it to serve as a kind of notice for parents. …JAMB will admit students who are below that age, but from next year, JAMB is going to insist that anybody applying to go to university in Nigeria meets the required age which is 18. We are not actually coming up with new policies contrary to what some people are saying. We are just reminding people of what is existing. In any case, NECO and WAEC, henceforth, will not be allowing under-age children to write their examinations”. IT’S NOT A MATTER OF AGE. It’s a matter of the years spent at each level of education”.
While the Honourable Minister stated that it is not a matter of age, his announcement admits the contrary.
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Implications of the sudden implementation of the education system
The Federal Ministry of Education is attempting to make up for its failure to implement the education system over the years. However, the proposed mode of implementation is ill-advised for the following reasons:
Psychological implication
There are millions of students in senior secondary schools who will finish the secondary school before they are age 18 years. Will these students be asked to wait one, two or three years just because the most important pre-qualification condition for writing the WAEC, NECO and JAMB is age? This policy will forcefully halt academic momentum leading to an irretrievable loss of valuable time. It will certainly affect the psychology of the students negatively leading to loss of interest in education.
Likewise, this policy disproportionately affects gifted students and those who earn accelerated promotions in elementary and secondary schools. The minister recognised these sets of students but communicated his unwillingness to concede special recognition for them. He has this to say on the matter: “At the moment, this is what we have. But it’s very legitimate to appeal and look at that window of how we care for our smart children. And this is a conversation for another day. Other countries do similar things. They have age specifications for each level of education. But again, they look at the possibilities of smart children. A lot of times in Nigeria, what sometimes is a widow eventually becomes a door.”
Admission into tertiary institution
Statistics reveal that 1,985,642 candidates registered for JAMB in 2024. Only 385,050 students were admitted to tertiary institutions in 2023. There is the likelihood that the admission rate will be less than 500,000 in 2024. The question therefore is: will all candidates who are 18 years old be granted admission on the year of first application from 2025? Nigeria has a peculiar situation that makes it unique and therefore discourages imitating what is obtainable in other climes. Admission is not automatic upon qualification because Nigeria is bereft of adequate tertiary institutions to fully admit deserving candidates. Also, the Federal Ministry of Education cannot guarantee that all qualified candidates will be admitted into tertiary institutions. Imposing other mechanisms to slow down promising youths is therefore needless, ill-timed and ill-advised in Nigeria
Education tourism
Education tourism is a culture in Nigeria. The speed at which Nigerian students migrate abroad in pursuit of foreign education has continually been on an exponential rise. • Between 2006 and 2016, over 10,000 Nigerian Students were enrolled in one university in Benin Republic, not counting several other universities along the coast of West Africa and the West. • The data from the British government education tourism to the UK reveal that there were 6,798 in 2019. This rose to 59,053 in 2022 which amounts to a 768.7 percent difference. In 2022, the number of Nigerian students who received a UK student visa was 65,929. • According to the data, 14,438 Nigerians enrolled for education in the US in 2022 as against 12,860 recorded in 2021. • In Malaysia, there are lots of Nigerians pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Reports have it that there are over 13000 Nigerian students in Malaysian universities. • The number of new study permits issued to Nigerians for study in Canada increased to 13,745 from 10,550 in 2020. • The United Arab Emirates has more than 1,755 Nigerian resident students • Hungary is gradually becoming a destination country for foreign education with over 700 Nigerian students studying there • Reports show that there are about 71,000 Nigerian students in Ghana paying about US$ 1 billion annually as tuition fees and their upkeeps. In 2022, over 78,000 Nigerian students were in universities across Ghana compared to 13,919 according to a UNESCO report in 2016, a whopping 560.38 percent. • Foreign education cost Nigeria $28.65billion from 2010 to 2020, with Personal Transport Allowance totalling $58.7billion.
These figures do not include countless Nigerian children enrolled in primary and secondary schools abroad.
Many experts and parents indicated that the shabby state of the Nigerian education system is basically fuelling the education tourism, especially as it concerns tertiary education.
This education tourism may be further amplified where parents are desirous to preserve the academic momentum of their wards who fully qualify for admission into tertiary institutions before they are age 18 years.
Brain drain
With over 90 million people under 18 years of age, Nigeria ranks as the world’s third-largest youth population, trailing only India and China. However, there are obviously not enough schools to provide tertiary education to all of them.
Most of the students who will qualify for admission into tertiary institutions before they are 18 years would have shown a high propensity for intelligence. What the current education policy does is that it encourages our young brilliant children to seek tertiary education elsewhere.
More often than not, graduates tend to stay in the country where they obtained their tertiary education for employment.
AARE AFE BABALOLA, OFR, CON, SAN, LL.D (Lond.)
EDUCATION
Expedite Actions Towards Alleviating The Sufferings Of Nigerians, End Extreme Hardship, CONUA Tasks Tinubu
Since the fuel subsidy removal and naira devaluation policies of the present administration, Nigerians have been going through excruciating pains and extreme hardship which needs government’s urgent intervention.
The Congress of University Academics, CONUA, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to expedite action towards pulling Nigerians out the cesspit of extreme hardship in the country created by various reforms of his administration.
CONUA is a splinter group from Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which was formed by university lecturers during the last prolonged strike organised by ASUU.
A statement issued by it’s President, Dr Niyi Sumonu on Saturday revealed that since the fuel subsidy removal and naira devaluation policies of the present administration, Nigerians have been going through excruciating pains and extreme hardship which needs government’s urgent intervention.
“The Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has, again, reviewed the state of the nation and noted the excruciating pains Nigerians have been going through as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy since 29th May 2023 and the subsequent policy of floating the Naira.
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“The union further notes that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has assured the nation that a series of measures are being put in place to alleviate the suffering of the people. CONUA urges the President to expedite action on those measures, particularly the announcement of a commensurate minimum wage that will cushion the effect of this untold hardship being currently experienced by the citizens”, it stated.
Dr. Sumonu described as illegal the continuous withholding of its members three months salary occasioned by the strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, in 2022, denying the participation of Union’s members in the said industrial action.
In his words, “the Union wishes to once again call the attention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) to the continued withholding of the three and a half months salary due to the strike action embarked by a sister academic staff union in the Universities. CONUA, as a Union has consistently maintained that it never declared and was not part of the strike action.
“What the government had done was to lump together those who embarked on strike with those who did not! This is unjust, and is tantamount to punishing the innocent along with the guilty. The Federal Government’s action actually goes against the judgment delivered on 25th July, 2023 at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), which affirmed CONUA as an independent Union”.
“The President should note that withholding the three and a half months salaries of members of CONUA, who neither declared nor participated in any strike action, contravenes Section 43 (1b) of the Trade Disputes Act CAP. T8, which states that “where any employer locks out his workers, the workers shall be entitled to wages and any other applicable remunerations for the period of the lock-out and the period of the lock-out shall not prejudicially affect any rights of the workers being rights dependent on the continuity of period of employment”.
The Union further urged President Tinubu to pay attention to the remuneration of academics in the university which has been stagnant since 15 years ago, despite the steady rise in the cost of living and demanded an adjustment in the emoluments of lecturers to bring the best out of them.
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