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

”Global hunger isn’t about the absence of food. It’s about the presence of entrenched injustice.”- Ray Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America. More than eight per cent of the world population or around 673 million people are not getting enough to eat and going hungry. The United Nations adds that 30% of all food produced globally is lost or wasted annually. These statistics are alarming and should serve as a call to action. This year’s World Food Day should therefore take on an added significance to address global hunger and food security. World Food Day is observed annually on October 16th. The day is set aside to raise global awareness about hunger, malnutrition, and the pressing need for sustainable food systems. World Food Day serves as a reminder that access to safe and nutritious food is a fundamental human right, not a privilege. The day unites nations, communities, and individuals in reaffirming a shared commitment to end hunger, strengthen food security, and build a future w...

“Rural women play a critical role in ensuring the world can be fed - yet they continue to experience systemic racism, structural poverty and discrimination.”- António Guterres, UN Secretary-General. Women have long confronted a culture of exclusion. Today, rural women remain especially vulnerable to these systemic barriers, even though women make up nearly 40 percent of the world's agricultural labor force. Rural women have less access to a range of resources, from land rights and credit to education and technology. Although women make up almost four out of every ten people in the agricultural workforce, they own only about 15 percent of agricultural land. Structural barriers and discriminatory social norms continue to constrain women’s decision-making power and political participation in rural households and communities. Women and girls in rural areas lack equal access to productive resources and assets, public services, such as education and health care, and infrastructure, inclu...

Globally, more than a billion people live with a mental health condition. Life often comes at us hard. Yet, we must find ways and means of coping. Our overall wellbeing is hinged on the state of our mental wellness. Unfortunately, due to the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental wellness many of us suffer in silence. It is this prolonged period of suffering that often translates into a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental disorder. Traditional masculinity norms such as pushing for toughness, emotional control, and total self-reliance considerably hinder men's mental health by discouraging help-seeking and forcing distress into masked symptoms like anger, substance use, or suicide. Many mental health conditions can be effectively treated at relatively low cost, yet health systems remain significantly under-resourced and treatment gaps are wide all over the world. Mental health care is often poor in quality when delivered. People with mental health conditions often also experie...

Around the world, teachers continue to face excessive workloads, insufficient salaries, growing administrative burdens, a growing culture of disrespect, poor working conditions, attacks on academic freedom and professional autonomy, as well as worsening teacher shortages. At the same time, teachers are helping learners navigate the impacts of conflict, inequality, climate change, technological transformation, and democratic challenges. Yes, the job description of the teacher is never-ending. World Teachers’ Day is held annually on October 5 to celebrate all teachers around the globe. The day is set aside to commemorate the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment...

It is the best of times; it is the worst of time. Aging is morphed into a mixed bag of emotions. Without support this phase of one’s life can be quite lonely and challenging. Unfortunately, many of us are unprepared for the changes that come with growing older. Humanity is living longer than ever. The United Nations (UN) states that global life expectancy has risen increasingly for over seven decades, yet the gap between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy reached 9.6 years in 2019, reflecting the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. Longer lives are drawing greater attention to how health, social and economic conditions, and human rights are experienced. Longevity intersects with health systems, labour markets, social protection, education, housing and fiscal sustainability in ways that cannot be addressed in isolation. Where years are lived in good health and supported by inclusive labour markets and effective social protection, longer lives can generate a longevity ...

All children can learn, all children must learn. Taken at face value this is true. However, upon closer examination those who know better are very much aware that there are many learning challenges that hinder children from learning. Jamaica’s education system is faced with many challenges but, perhaps the most prevalent barriers to education are Language-Based Learning Disabilities (LBLD). Language-based learning disabilities can take several forms. Some of the most common include: dyslexia and dysgraphia. Children with Language-based Learning Disabilities usually have problems reading, spelling, speaking, and writing. Students who have difficulty in these areas often have challenges in school, since weak language skills make comprehension and communication more difficult. It is important to understand that language-based learning disabilities are unrelated to a child’s intelligence. According to Dr. Susan Anderson, a special education expert, dyslexia is the most common learning dis...

“Each time we choose dialogue over division and cooperation over confrontation, we strengthen democracy.”- António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General. Democracy is a universally recognized ideal and is one of the core values and principles of the United Nations (UN). Democracy provides an environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights. The UN promotes good governance, monitors elections, supports civil society to strengthen democratic institutions and accountability, ensures self-determination in decolonized countries, and assists in the drafting of new constitutions in post-conflict nations. The International Day of Democracy is celebrated around the world on 15 September each year. This important day was established through a resolution passed by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2007, encouraging governments to strengthen and consolidate democracy. The International Day is an opportunity to review the state of democracy around the world....