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

"Education must never become a casualty of war. No child should pay the price of a conflict they did not start." — Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner. Access to quality educational opportunities is a fundamental human right. Attacks on education deprive students of their basic right to quality education and impede teachers’ ability to carry out their work. Attacks on schools continue at an alarming rate in situations of armed conflict. Seven years after the first observance of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, armed conflict shows no sign of abating and continues to escalate around the world. The United Nations (UN) reports that attacks on education have also risen sharply over the past two years, with 8,566 reported attacks on educational institutions, compared with 6,000 in 2022 and 2023. Children faced “shocking” levels of violence in armed conflict in 2025, according to the UN Secretary General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict. The Un...

"Acquiring literacy is an empowering process, enabling millions to enjoy access to knowledge and information which broadens horizons, increases opportunities and creates alternatives for building a better life.” – Kofi Annan. Alarmingly, at least 739 million youth and adults worldwide still lack basic literacy skills in 2024. The United Nations (UN) adds that 475 million adults who lack literacy skills are women. At the same time, 4 in 10 children are not reaching minimum proficiency in reading, and 272 million children and adolescents were out of school in 2023. There is no one size fit approach to literacy intervention. Too often educators experiment with literacy intervention strategies to the detriment of struggling readers. Struggling or emergent readers should not be experiments or caught in the middle of school politics. Those students need help now. Many students view reading as punitive. Our methods of socialization both in the home and at school have greatly contribu...

Globally, 300,000 people are currently living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Did you know that one in 5000 newborn boys in the world is affected by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy? Living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a journey marked by both physical challenges and emotional resilience. Historically, individuals with DMD lived only into their late teens or early 20s. Today, modern standards of care extend average survival well into the late 20s and early 30s, with select patients reaching their 40s. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a rare progressive disorder. The first symptoms of DMD are normally identified in early childhood by parents. People with DMD are missing muscle-protecting protein. This is due to a fault in the gene producing dystrophin. Importantly those living with DMD have issues with muscles becoming weaker over time until they affect the whole body. It is caused by a mutation on the X-chromosome; that is why mainly males are affected. First walking becomes ...

The word ‘dunce’ has always had a fixed address in our local lexicon. The summer holidays are almost over, yet the narrative associated with the ‘dunce’ culture will be carried over into the new academic year, especially since the most recent release of both the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) as well as the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination results. The word “dunce” itself was imported during colonial education systems, used to debase Africans who struggled with imposed European languages and cultural norms. Unfortunately, in post colonial societies, the word ‘dunce’ is still be used to divide, segregate, devalue the citizenry. The glorification of “dunce culture” is not unique to Jamaica but resonates in the broader Caribbean region where education, class and cultural identity intersect. Undoubtedly, Jamaica’s global cultural influence amplifies the culture of dunce. We often underestimate the power and force of our popular culture to our detriment. Gone ar...

“Education is the medium by which a people are prepared for the creation of their own particular civilization, and the advancement and glory of their own race.”- Marcus Garvey. We often talk about education as a right; however, there are many barriers to access and this is problematic. The result is quality education is often linked to one’s wealth. August 17 is the 139th anniversary of the birth of National Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey. Each year a number of events are held to commemorate Garvey’s birth. One of the most noticeable events is that of the annual lecture. This year’s lecture was given by Professor Donna Hope of the University of the West Indies and held at Liberty Hall in Kingston. Even while we sat and listened attentively to the professor, there are a number of questions we must ask ourselves, such as, what is the impact of the structural inequalities of the current education system which provides different outcomes to different students based on social indicators. Anoth...

Cronyism in education circles is palpable. Cronyism in education is not a localized problem; it is a widespread systemic issue across diverse political, economic and cultural landscapes. There are numerous intersectionalities regarding education. One of the least visible is that of cronyism. Cronyism in education is pervasive in global education systems. Unfortunately, as a society we have normalized this social ill to the detriment of our students. The interrogation of this societal issue should not be divorced from the configuration of society which is structured along hierarchical indicators, such as social class, sex and religious affiliations. Cronyism in education refers to the manner in which educational opportunities, resources, positions and advantages are distributed through personal connections, favoritism, family ties, political influence, or social status rather than through merit and fairness. Cronyism occurs at all levels of the education system. Many qualified teacher...

“Indigenous Peoples around the world continue to face overwhelming marginalization, discrimination and exclusion. Rooted in colonialism and patriarchy, these profound disparities are sustained by a deeply held resistance to recognizing and respecting the rights, dignity, and freedoms of indigenous peoples. Throughout modern history, indigenous peoples have been robbed of their lands and territories, of their political and economic autonomy, and even of their own children. Their cultures and languages have been denigrated and extinguished.” – United Nations Secretary General António Guterres. Did you know Indigenous Peoples make up less than 6% of the global population, but they represent at least 15% of the extremely poor? Indigenous Peoples' territories encompass 28% of the surface of the globe and contain 11% of the world’s forests. They are guardians of most of the world’s remaining biodiversity. Indigenous Peoples have always been marginalized. The United Nations (UN) estimat...