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

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....

Caves and Karst landscapes are vital yet often underappreciated environments. A Karst is a distinctive topography in which the landscape is largely shaped by the dissolving action of water mainly on carbonate bedrock (usually limestone, dolomite, or marble). This geological process, occurring over many thousands of years, results in unusual surface and subsurface features ranging from sinkholes, vertical shafts, disappearing streams, and springs, to complex underground drainage systems and caves. They host extraordinary biodiversity, provide drinking water resources and support livelihoods of millions of people. They are also sources of cultural heritage, natural resources, and recreational opportunities. Caves and karst landscapes cover nearly a quarter of the Earth's land surface and provide drinking water to more than a billion people. Shaped over millennia by the slow dissolution of soluble rock, these hidden environments preserve unique subterranean biodiversity, irreplaceabl...

The term Global South covers Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, developing parts of Asia (excluding Japan, Israel, and South Korea), and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand). The Global South includes 134 countries that are home to about 80 per cent of the world’s population. Yet representation at the international level often does not reflect the growing importance and geopolitical power of the Global South. The UN reports that developing countries paid a record US$921 billion to service external debt in 2024. This level of external debt by the Global South is disempowering to governments in this region, stripping them of their economic power to adequately provide quality education and proper healthcare for their citizenry. This is problematic. As a result, many citizens who live in the Global South are skeptical of the true intention of the United Nations (UN). They often view the workings of the UN as exclusionary and more in favour of the Global North. The United N...