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

THE GOVERNMENT has signalled its intention to rid the Jamaican society of all gangs and dismantle all garrisons in the wake of the assault on west Kingston. While this seems to be an ambitious and commendable task it should not end there. The Government also needs to tackle the issue of squatting and the emergence of unplanned settlements throughout the entire country. There is a clear connection between garrisons/dons and unplanned settlements. When these unplanned settlements are allowed to develop it inevitably calls for a leadership issue, and this usually ends up with a don emerging. It is the abandonment of the State to provide basic needs for the citizenry that has led to the emergence of dons and garrisons. Second, there is the issue of the commercialisation of residential areas, especially where sidewalk garages are concerned. This social problem adds greatly to the erosion of the quality of life for law-abiding citizens, as well as create an opportunity for area leaders...

It is imperative that as a society we reflect on the successes of the education system and learn as much from its failures with the aim of improving the system. While most of our children continue to do relatively well at the secondary level, there are many others who have been given a disservice by the stakeholders of the education system especially those students who attend non-traditional high schools. The stakeholders of the education system including the Ministry of Education has been rather short-sighted in not doing enough to ensure that all students leaving high school leave so with some form of certification. The Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC) examination for the most part is widely misunderstood by both educators and students. The CCSLC examination was developed by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) primarily to prepare individuals to participate fully as productive members of Caribbean societies throughout the region. The last three year...

Not very often do we come across an issue which has the ability to ignite and sustain a public debate in the Jamaican society such as the issue of the age of sexual consent. In criminal law, the age of sexual consent is the age at which a person is considered to be capable of legally giving consent to sexual acts with another person. An individual who engages in sex with someone below the age of sexual consent commits a crime called carnal abuse. In Jamaica the age of sexual consent is sixteen (16) years old. In many other jurisdictions the age of sexual consent ranges from as young as twelve (12) years old to as old as twenty (21) years. Mexico is one of few countries with the age of sexual consent being at age 12. In the United States Of America the age of sexual consent ranges from a low of thirteen (13) years old (New Mexico) to a high of eighteen (18) years old (California). Legal and Cultural Attitudes Legal and cultural attitudes have over time influenced the age of sexual c...

 In recent times the call for the abolition of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) has gotten louder. From the halls of academia to the verandas of the average Jamaican there has been and continue to be a growing body of public opinion calling for the Ministry of Education to find a replacement measuring tool to place our primary school students into high schools. The Grade Six Achievement Test is a placement examination, that is, regardless of the score of the candidate that individual will be placed at a high school. The areas of concern I have regarding the GSAT examination are twofold. Firstly, the GSAT examination is elist at best and secondly, the exam is not a true reflection of the candidate’s scholastic ability. The elitist nature of the GSAT exam is reinforced by the Ministry of Education in two ways. The top performers of the exams are sent to a limited number of high schools and candidates with the lowest scores are also sent to limited number low performing high scho...

Technology has changed people and their lives. The past century has seen the most significant changes to our lives than any other period in history due to advance technology. Not to be outdone the church has embraced the technological advances of the time and may I say the church will never be the same again.  Having said that it has been tested and proven time and time again that whenever an institution moves away from its core function failure is never too far behind. The church as we know it was established to spread the Gospel of Christ and in so doing to win souls for the kingdom of God. However, in recent times the church has been moving more and more away from its mandate founding principles and by so doing the impact of the church has diminished. How else can you explain a man being shot and killed at the altar of church or criminal stealing church equipment? It is indeed very troubling and frightening to see where Jamaica has reached in her journey from Emancipation ...

22 And Jesus answering saith unto them,  Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Yes, we all had an option about the Volkswagen Super Bowl advertisement featuring a white male American office worker with a Jamaican accent.  In viewing the advertisement one was immediately reminded of the Jamaican proverb which says “wi lickle but wi tallawah”. For a major automobile manufacturer such as the German carmaker Volkswagen to use our dialect in a major advertisement it speaks volume of Jamaica’s greatness and influence despite her relatively small size on the map.  Like any controversial topic there are arguments for both sides of the debate. Those who object to the advertisement argue that the advertisement is racist and offensive to Jamaica and Jamaicans. However, we tend to forget that although the majority of Jamaicans are black and are from an African heritage Jamaica is a pluralistic society with many ethnic groups represented. There are Chinese Jamaicans; Jamaicans of Indian descent and of course white Jamaicans.  Additionally, there are also Jews in...

For the most part our school age boys and young men refuse from taking part in extracurricular activities.  Involvement in uniform groups especially for our males has become a rarity in the Jamaican society. It was a rather refreshing sight to have seen a young man dressed in full scout uniform making his way to school last Friday while on my way to work. This occurrence signalled to me that all is not lost in Jamaica despite the harsh economic times and the struggles we face daily as a people. As a society we need to revitalize the scouting movement in Jamaica and encourage our children especially our young men to get involved in positive extra-curricular activities such as this. Scouting was started in the early 1900,s by Robert Baden-Powell and is still very much relevant today as it was back then. The Scouting organization works towards giving young men the knowledge, skills and life lessons that will help them mature and succeed as they become adults. In an era when many o...

It is time for men to take center stage. International Men’s Day is an annual global event celebrated on November 19. The focus of this international occasion serves to highlight the various forms of discrimination and challenges our males face, as well as, to celebrate the positive contributions, accomplishments and varied experiences of being male.   For far too long this very important day has not found the buzz it deserves in the Jamaican landscape. However, this can be explained because we live in a society and indeed geographical region where the rights and issues of males are not historically viewed as important and therefore men’s rights are hardly taken seriously more so discussed in a meaningful manner.  The theme for this year “Keeping men and boys safe” is rather appropriate and timely given the on-going debate regarding how neglectful  some of our males have become regarding the lack of attention they pay to their health and other supporting issues neces...

AS we continue to struggle as a society with issues of values and attitudes, the time has come for us to examine the possibility of introducing the teaching of character education into the school curriculum at both the primary and secondary levels of the education system. We need to stop and take a serious look at the society, since it appears that we lack the fortitude and wherewithal to produce men and women of good character. February 2013 was one of the most embarrassing for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). In two instances, six of their members were arrested and another is on the run for their alleged involvement in harbouring a criminal, robbery, and facilitating the escape of a prisoner. It should be very clear to all of us that without positive and good character, corruption intensifies. The teaching of character education should be compulsory in all public institutions of learning at the early childhood, primary and secondary levels of the education sys...

 Published Monday, November 04, 2013-Jamaica Observer Tweet BEFORE we rush to condemn we should all try and remember the numerous times we have had lapses in judgement in our younger days. He or she that is without fault please indicate now. The overarching tendency in our society is to be characterised by short-term memory. We oftentimes forget that each generation of Jamaicans, like in any other society, tries as much as possible to push the envelope regarding decency and acceptable behaviour.   Having viewed the footage from the two-year-old Maggotty High School "bashment" video, I did not react with the typical jaw-dropping, knee jerking, shock and awe response as was the usual reaction from a significant portion of the Jamaican society. We live in an over-sexualised society, in which we are constantly being bombarded by sexual images and nuances by a media more concerned about their profit line than what is broadcast. One only has to ...

Not very often do we see our state agencies working for the good and benefit of the Jamaican people, however, since the start of 2012, the Food and Prevention of Infestation Division (FSPID) has been doing just that. The agency has confiscated two separate shipments of contaminated food destined for consumption by the Jamaican consumer. The first shipment was that of some 1000 metric tons of imported rice from the United States of America and the other shipment was that of red peas imported from Belize. In both instances dead rodents and or frogs were found among the shipments. While I can understand the need for us to import rice given the popularity of the staple in the diet of many Jamaicans, and our inability to grow adequate amount I at a lost that we should be importing red peas also another popular food item with the Jamaican consumer. It is clear that the Ministry of Agriculture needs to encourage more farmers to go into red peas and rice production to ensure food security a...

Interestingly, but more so disturbingly, in a year when nature has spared Jamaica from the destruction associated with a hurricane the Kingston & St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) has moved away from its core function to address cosmetic needs. The Kingston & St. Andrew Corporation mission statement unmistakably states the council should meet the local needs of the citizens of Kingston and St. Andrew by providing effective and efficient services to enhance their quality of life. However, recent developments and actions by the municipal council clearly lead one to question whose needs are being met and who are the citizens benefitting from an enhanced quality of life by the work of the KSAC? The KSAC has embarked on the registration of handcarts operators in downtown Kingston. According to the KSAC some 500 handcarts owners have registered to that. This initiative is aimed at regularizing hand cart operators across the city. Seriously!! Clearly, the KSAC needs to be reminded about...

Soups By Wayne Campbell Who remembers having soup on Saturday? Sure you do! It was customary to see Mom in the kitchen as early as the rooster crows Preparing Turnips, Pumpkins, Carrots, Irish Potatoes, Oh Yes! Who can forget the flour dumpling? Dumplings without cornmeal and as huge as a cartwheel, Yellow Yam as dry as starch and coco too Garlic, Dasheen, Escallion and yes, the Scotch Bonnet pepper for that flavour Do you remember that big aluminium pot that was only used on Saturdays? For soup, whether its chicken feet Red Peas soup with salt beef and soup bone Green Gungo soup with salt beef and soup meat Manish Water with goat meat or Fish tea soup You had no choice in the matter not at age 9 or 10 You either had mom’s soup or go hungry As you grew into a teen you found out that you did have a choice To go on the road and buy fast food With friends who were rebelling themselves No more soups It wasn’t macho to stay a...

In recent times Jamaica’s education system has been under the microscope and the findings have not been favorably in regard to what now passes off as education in the society. Jamaica’s education system can be described as transient in nature despite pockets of excellence scattered across the various layers of the system. Each year a significant number of the student population simply passes through the school system without acquiring the requisite skills and knowledge necessary for them to become meaningful and productive members of the society. With each passing year we find that more and more of our parents are more concerned about whether or not their child has made the graduation list as against whether their child has qualified to sit an eternal examination.   Isn’t this rather interesting and disturbing?    The “passing through the system approach” is especially worrying for many of our boys who slip into the criminal world and oftentimes creating mayhem and...