The Intersection of Gender, Culture and Education: Jamaica: The Next 50 Years!

An estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disability. This represents 16% of the world’s population, or 1 in 6 of us. In the Caribbean, there are over 1 million persons living with some form of disability this amounts to more than the population of certain countries in the sub-region. Across the Caribbean, persons with disabilities face discrimination and exclusion. Social exclusion is caused by underlying systemic barriers that limit the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in social, economic and political life. Persons with disabilities have lower outcomes in education, employment and health compared to other population groups. Persons with disabilities have twice the risk of developing conditions such as depression, asthma, diabetes, stroke, obesity or poor oral health. Each year the global community observes International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 03. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issue...

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) states that the Caribbean has the highest incidence rate of reported AIDS cases in the Americas. With between 350,000 and 590,000 Caribbean people living with HIV/AIDS, the region has an adult HIV prevalence rate between 1.9% and 3.1%, second only to Africa (7.5% and 8.5%). Of that number, 83 per cent know their status and 68 per cent of them are on treatment. However, only 57 per cent of people living with HIV are virally suppressed and thus have a reduced risk of transmitting the virus to their sexual partners. As a region the Caribbean is facing a generalized epidemic. HIV/AIDS is well entrenched here, with a national prevalence of at least 1% in 12 countries, all of them in the Caribbean Basin. The most recent national estimates showed HIV prevalence among pregnant women reaching or exceeding 2% in eight countries: the Bahamas, Belize, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, St. Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Over thirty thousand p...

Oftentimes, we take the issue of connectivity for granted. Connectivity is one of those infrastructures that we only notice when it fails. Whether it is internet access, access to roads and railway services, mobile networks, or even electricity grids, our daily lives hinge on these systems working seamlessly. Transport is vital for promoting connectivity, trade, economic growth and employment. On the other hand, transport is also implicated as a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Without a doubt, resolving these trade-offs is essential to achieving sustainable transport and, through that, sustainable development. The first World Sustainable Transport Day is being observed on November 26. The United Nations (UN) defines sustainable transport as “the provision of services and infrastructure for the mobility of people and goods advancing economic and social development to benefit today’s and future generations in a manner that is safe, affordable, accessible, efficient,...

“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances.”- William Shakespeare. Teaching is a performance. Performance has always been part of the delivery of educational content. As a result, education theatrics is largely grounded in a philosophy of performance and humour. Education theatrics often refers to the performative characteristics of schooling where the emphasis shifts from genuine learning to appearances and symbolic gestures. Such rituals are not necessarily done with the best interests of the students. Additionally, resources are channeled into outward appearances, such as buildings rather than pedagogy. In this aspect of performance, the teacher becomes a performer in the delivery of his or her content, while students play the role of captive audience. In addition, teachers are pressured to perform compliance instead of fostering creativity. However, the script oftentimes does not go as planned. In the world...

The issues and experiences of men and boys are not taken seriously. In many societies men are expected to be tough and void of emotions. In our gendered approach to socializations boys from an early age are not shown as much attention when they hurt. Young boys are taught to “toughen up” or “suck it up” when hurt or when facing challenges. Emotional suppression is a learnt behaviour and lays the foundation for shame for unresolved feelings. This oftentimes positions anger and rage as the only acceptable masculine emotions. This “man up” attitude and narrative matures into a rejection of empathy toward others and repackages nurturing impulses as “weak.” Additionally, it is also very disrespectful for females to tell grown men to ‘man up’. It is this double standard approach regarding the sexes that oftentimes contribute to toxic masculinity. Toxic masculinity refers to a set of negative and harmful social norms that are associated with traditional ideas of manhood, such as emotional ...

“For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”- Psalms 75:6-7. The intersectionality of cultural norms and sexual behaviour is nothing new. Cultural norms are the standards that govern behaviour in a particular society. In other words, these are shared beliefs about acceptable behavior. Norms determine how people interact with each other, shaping everything from our social etiquette to our moral codes. Norms are not static but change with time, with some old ones getting abandoned and new ones emerging. Undoubtedly, there is an interconnectedness between cultural norms and the state of the society. In any discourse surrounding norms, we must acknowledge that there are those individuals who do not subscribe to cultural norms. From time immemorial sex has always been used as a form of currency or payment by both genders. Weaponized Sexuality . Over the centuries sex has been used a...

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”- Marcus Garvey. There is a sense of urgency to rebuild Jamaica after the catastrophic and devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa which made landfall on October 28, 2025 packing winds of 185 miles per hour. The lives of many Jamaicans have been in limbo since that fateful day. Jamaicans are resilient. The process of rebuilding must be intentional and purposeful. Rebuilding is much more than replacing physical structures. Rebuilding incorporates the spirit and history of that space to be rebuilt. Jamaica’s strong and historic Judeo- Christian background must also be taken into account in refashioning this new Jamaica. Culture is the way of life of a people. Jamaica’s culture is an amalgamation of various groups of people who settled on the island over the centuries. Our culture and our laws have to a great extent been shaped by Christian beliefs and faith. Reconstructing any town es...