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

Your time on earth made the word a better and more poetic place to live, work and raise families. You have been an inspiration to many and a most phenomenal woman. Your human appeal cut across all barriers of gender, race and class.   Your legacy will live on forever through and in your work. Rest in Peace- Maya Angelou

Succession planning is a process for identifying and developing a cadre of talented people to fill critical leadership positions both in government and in the corporate world. Effective succession planning ensures and involves developing the knowledge base, skills and abilities of middle managers in preparation for promotion into more challenging roles. While it can be argued that the Jamaican private sector takes succession planning seriously, the same cannot be said for governance and government in Jamaica. Over the years successive governments in Jamaica have relied solely on their faithful party loyalists and supports to serve on the boards of state entities while ignoring the talents and expertise of ordinary Jamaicans. As a society we need to move away from this myopic view of politics and governance and shift our focus to a broader more inclusive approach. What benefits is there to be gained to the country by the continued recycling of the same individuals to serve on

If I Were A Submarine © If I were a submarine I would glide across the oceans and the seas, Occasionally stopping to acknowledge my underwater friends Cruising from one port to the next. I would submerge myself deep in the belly of the ocean, Surfacing only for food, and to see the curious reactions of onlookers and passersby, Journeying from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans, From Kingston Harbour to Papua New Guinea. Searching the bottom of the oceans floor Exploring that which was once hidden, Missing airplanes and ships, perhaps From the Mediterranean to the Adriatic Sea. Bringing closure to hurting families and friends, Who thought their nightmare would never end, Providing them a view of the vast, beautiful and mysterious underwater world.    I would pack submariners on board in tiny compartments, For an adventure of a lifetime, To discover and explore,   while embracing culturally diverse peoples. A civil submarine

“Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.”- Kofi Annan. Former UN Secretary General. Historically, women from all across the world have been subjected to various forms of structural discrimination. Discrimination against women and young girls is widespread exists in almost all societies, more so in the developing world.   In many parts of the world women remain voiceless and walk in the shadow of men. Many societies in an effort to right this wrong have gone the route of legislating gender quotas to recruit women into enter main stream politics. A gender quota is a mandate that women must constitute a prescribed percentage of the number of seats in a body whether in parliament or on a Board. According to the Global Database of Quotas for Women, women make up eighteen point four per cent of the members of parliaments across the world. Interestingly,

"They that sow in tears shall reap in Joy"- Psalms 126 verse 5. For all those who are suffering, feeling sad and depressed. For those who are feeling lonely and those who are alone. For all those who are worried about the future, take comfort in these words and never give up. Your breakthrough is very close. Our God is able to do the impossible. Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Blessings!

One of the most outrageous, if not the most outrageous news items to have emerged recently was the Jamaica Public Service Company new anti theft strategy.   According to the company, it has now embark on a policy whereby the company will be cutting the number of hours of electricity it provides to communities where more than 70 percent of the electricity supply is stolen. While it is a well known fact the power and light company has struggled over the years to curb and reduce the number of incidence of theft, certainly this discriminatory policy is not the way to move forward.   This misguided policy also seeks to punish those customers who are up to date with their accounts by providing them with only 12 hours daily supply of electricity. This cannot be right, ethical or fair.   What are the rights of the paying customers of the Jamaica Public Service Company? Are these rights being infringed upon by reducing power to these customers for 12 hours daily? What about the schools

To a large extent the saying, "it a man's world" holds true for many societies. This patriarchal culture is widespread especially on the African continent, as well as, in Islamic states. According to the Inter- Parliamentary Union, which classified 189 countries according to female participation in representational politics, only two countries Rwanda (63.8%) and Andorra (50%) have at least fifty per cent participation of women in politics. Sweden is ranked number four at (45%). Grenada is the highest placed Caribbean country at 28 at (33.3%), Jamaica, despite having a female Prime Minister is ranked at 107 with (12.7%). Nigeria not surprisingly so is ranked 131 out of the 189 countries listed with (6.7%) female participation in politics. The Middle East countries of Yemen (0.3%) and Qatar (0%) are at the bottom end of the rankings. Since women make up at 51% of the worlds population shouldn't it be that they should have a voice at the highest level

MAMA Your love is unconditional A reservoir in troubled times Petite and strong willed  Kind and thoughtful A gentle soul Mama is who you are to me A strong sense of family A selfless and committed being The adhesive in our family Your grace and beauty remains Despite the years Early to bed, early to rise Wise words indeed Oh, that gentle touch And your captivating smile Your encouraging words on those ‘down’ days A nd sometimes a smack on the butt in bygone days Thank you mother For always being there for us For your support through difficult times Though stern at times you are a special and extraordinary woman On this Mother's Day Mama, I wish for you GOD's continued blessings Good health Happy Mother's Day Dedicated to Vinette Campbell  From son Wayne Campbell  

“The future must not belong to those who bully women. It must be shaped by girls who go to school and those who stand for a world where our daughters can live their dreams just like our sons” President Barack Obama. The lack of action by the Nigerian government to rescue the more than 200 school girls kidnapped on the night of April 14 by the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, clearly speaks to issues relating to a failed state, as well as issues relating to how gender impacts and influence decisions on a daily basis. It is most unacceptable that in today’s world many barriers still exist in preventing our girls from achieving an education.   Why did the Nigeria government waited so long before they asked for help from the international community? Why not use the available technology (drones, satellites) to find out exactly where these school girls are being held? The name Boko Haram means “Western education is a sin.” Like many other Islamist militant groups, the Boko Haram believ

The constant fire at the Riverton City landfill is both a public health emergency and a human rights issue. Since the latest incident of fire at the landfill (last week) the air quality in and around sections of Kingston and St. Andrew, as well as, parts of Portmore have been compromise due to the polluted air from toxic chemicals which has blanketed sections of the city for days. Thousands of Jamaicans, including me, have been experiencing respiratory tract infections and have had to seek medical attention. While the fire continues to take a toll on the environment and the health of citizens the silence from the top officials at the Ministry of Health has been rather deafening.   It defies logical reasoning why have the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) continue to allow the National Solid Waste Management and Authority (NSWMA) to operate Riverton City Landfill in light of all the problems which have plagued the operation over the years? In 1948, the United Nations ad

It is a human tendency to take many things in life for granted. Recently I was required to source some personal data from a group of young adults. At first I thought how simply and routine such an exercise would be. However, I was in for a bit of shock. I asked a particular youngster for her full name which she told me. However, for this specific purpose one’s middle name was optional. Yes, she knew her middle name; nevertheless she was unable to spell her middle name. I was amazed and a bit embarrassed for her. I have always taken for granted that by age 16 all children would know how to spell their names. The best this youngster could do was to tell me her middle name. Her middle name consists of seven letters. It is quite logical to think this young adult would have never seen her middle name in print. How is this possible I ask myself? One’s name and address are among the first things a child should learn at home. There is clearly a break down somewhere. Occasionally, one

                                                                            East Indian Mango © I saw it this morning Hanging midway from the sparsely laden tree It lit up my eyes! Bright yellow and oblong I had great plans for it.Yes! My after Sunday dinner dessert Gone! Six hours later Right there on the branch close to the dividing wall Aromatic! The queen of tropical fruits Almost ripe, Spotless! My clingstone fruit Not just any mango, It was an East Indian Mango Where did my mango go? Is it possible? Why didn’t they ask? Instead they violating my space and property Whose belly is now full with my “Eastie” When will I overcome this heartbreak? Not the first time might I add? Was a mango worth destroying a good relationship between neighbours? Why are people so bad- minded and covetous? Does anyone care? By Wayne Campbell