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

"Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity. They are children, women and men who leave or who are forced to leave their homes for various reasons."- Pope Francis. The world is witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record. At the end of 2018, an unprecedented 70.8 million people around the world were forced from their homes by conflict and persecution. Among them are nearly 30 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. There are also millions of stateless people, who have been denied a nationality and access to basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment and freedom of movement. Refugees are among the most vulnerable people in the world. The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol help protect them. They are the only global legal instruments explicitly covering the most important aspects of a refugee’s life. According to their provisions, refugees deserve, as a minimum, the same standards of treatment enjoy...

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder. That means it is passed down from a parent’s genes. It causes the body to make abnormal hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to all parts of your body. When you have SCD, your body’s tissues and organs do not get enough oxygen. Sickle cell disease is a lifelong condition. Healthy red blood cells are round and move easily all over the body. With SCD, the red blood cells are hard and sticky. They are shaped like the letter C (and like a farm tool called a sickle). These damaged red blood cells (sickle cells) clump together. Sickle Cell Traits versus Disease . People who have sickle cell trait inherited a hemoglobin S gene from only one parent. They inherited a normal gene from their other parent. People with sickle cell trait typically do not have any symptoms of sickle cell disease. However, ongoing research may show that these people may have symptoms. Importantly, they can pass on the ab...

In recent times differentiated instruction has become the poster child in educational circles. Differentiated instruction is a teaching approach that tailors curriculum, teaching methods, and learning activities to individual student needs. While the learning objective remains the same for the entire class, students are given multiple options regarding how they access content, process information, and demonstrate their mastery. This ‘waggonist’ approach to pedagogic discourse runs counter to the culture of standardized testing, a common feature of global education systems. As educators, we recognize and give credit to differentiation but let it not be said that differentiation is a panacea to all the short-comings of the education system. In an attempt to over simplify lessons for struggling learners, educators may unintentionally lower academic standards and even abandon those students who are over-achievers. Unfortunately, the abandonment of over-achievers in our education system i...

For many of us the ocean is distant and far-removed from our daily realities. For too long this narrative has been normalized and we have treated the ocean as separate from us. However, the ocean is a major part of us, in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the climate that makes our lives possible. Oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming. World Ocean Day is an annual global celebration held on June 8th that highlights the vital role the oceans play in sustaining life on Earth and promotes collective action to protect marine environments. Established by the United Nations (UN), the day unites millions of people in over 180 countries to advocate for a healthy ocean and stable climate. The ocean covers over 70% of the planet. It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth. The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversit...

Too often, the right to a healthy environment and the duty to protect our ecological heritage is betrayed. World Environment Day is perhaps the biggest international day for the environment. The day is observed annually on June 5. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and held annually since 1973, it has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach. The Earth is already speaking to us through record-breaking temperatures, more intense wildfires, extreme storms and glaciers disappearing before our eyes. The United Nations is correct, for years, we have said that limiting global warming to 1.5°C is essential to avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. Today, that threshold is dangerously close to being exceeded and every fraction of a degree matters. Climate change is no longer a future threat: it is reshaping life across the planet. Yet another force is also gaining momentum: collective action. Communities are restoring ecosystems. Young ...

The transformative impact of the bicycle is frequently overlooked. The bicycle is often referred to as the “people's nag.” The bicycle earned the nickname “the people’s nag” because it democratized transportation. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries it liberated the working class from relying on expensive horses known colloquially as "nags," providing an affordable, lightweight, and accessible way for ordinary people to travel freely under their own power. The technology that ushered in the bicycle over two hundred years ago was hugely disruptive. There are some who will argue that the advent of the bicycle is equivalent to that of artificial intelligence (AI) in today’s world. The Englishman John Kemp Starley is generally credited with inventing the modern bicycle. In 1885 the 30-year-old inventor began experimenting in his Coventry workshop with a chain-driven bicycle featuring two much smaller wheels. After testing several prototypes, he came up with the Rover ...

“To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honours.”- Tia Walker. Caring for loved ones often comes at a high price. The caregiver’s voice is frequently muted and this is problematic. Society can be harsh regarding how caregivers are viewed. Regrettably, the insensitivity directed at caregivers serves to devalue the important work we do. This culture of disrespect connects to broader issues of social justice, where undervaluing caregiver’s worth mirrors how marginalized forms of work are historically overlooked. Traditionally, women have been the dominant ones who are caregivers, however, increasingly; males have entered this realm of unpaid work. The disrespect shown to caregivers is not gender specific. People in almost all countries are living longer. Globally, babies born in 2022 are expected to live 71.7 years on average, 25 years longer than those born in 1950. Rapidly ageing populations have increasing health and long-term care needs. Caregivers also tend...