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

The recent crash of flight 9525 in the French Alps has brought into sharp focus the issues of pilot screening for fitness. The aviation industry has not been the same since September 11, 2011 when terrorists hijacked and crashed commercial passenger planes in the World Trade Center killing thousands. Initial reports regarding the crash have pointed to pilot suicide as the cause for the crash of the Germanwings airline which crashed on March 24, 2015 killing all 150 passengers and crew on- board.   Audio from the recovered black boxes suggests that the co-pilot locked the pilot out of the cockpit after he returned from the bathroom. As a global community we have avoided for too long the issue of mental health so much so that those afflicted with this serious illness tend to hide their problem and pretend all is well for fear of discrimination. While this is by no means an excuse we must and should be honest with ourselves and deal with the issue of mental health in a seri...

On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, "Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.

“Providing sustainable access to improved drinking water sources is one of the most important things we can do to reduce disease”- World Health Organization Director General-Dr. Margaret Chan. The international community recently commemorate World Water Day exploring the theme Water and Sustainable Development.   World Water Day is set aside to bring global awareness to the many individuals who suffer from water related issues, such as, no or poor sanitation facilities, as well as, diseases such as, dysentery and diarrhea.   The vast majority of the Earth’s water resources are salt water, with only 2.5 per cent being fresh water. Approximately seventy per cent of the fresh water available on the planet is frozen in the icecaps of Antarctica.   According to the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, one in three people are already facing water shortages (2007).    Caribbean countries have been implementing various measures to cont...

The recent fire at the Riverton City disposal site has exposed how outdated the Jamaica’s’s fire department is in fighting certain types of fire. The dump at Riverton City occupies just over one hundred and twenty (120) acres. Given this fact it is time that the fire department is given more resources to effectively equip themselves with all available apparatuses to tackle fires spread over such a vast expanse of land. Aerial firefighting as a technique in fire fighting and fire management has been around for quite some time. This technique has proven itself as an effective and efficient way of extinguishing fires. Without a doubt, Jamaica’s fire department needs to look at incorporating this practice to be used alongside the traditional ground based efforts in fighting fires. This practice commonly referred to an air attack involves the use of fixed wing and rotorcraft aircrafts which are capable of holding   gallons and gallons of water, as well as, other fire fighting retardan...

Today, March 22, 2015 is World Water Day. The theme is Water and Sustainable Development. Water scarcity is a global issue. In many parts of the world access to safe drinking water is a challenge. Without a reliable and consistent water supply a country,s food and national security are compromised. Water sustains life.

I am still in the midst of my winter, Awaiting the rush that comes with spring. How can I forget the hot days of summer, Or the cool nights that autumn brings. I am still in my winter. © 2015 Wayne Campbell

The recent statement from the Ministry of Health stating that Jamaicans should not experience any long term effects from the fire at the Riverton City disposal site is both alarming and troubling. Over the weekend the same government ministry told the nation that samples were taken of the air quality at two locations and that these were sent off to be tested. We were further informed that the results would have been available on March 18 th and or March 19 th , 2015. We are yet to hear such results. It bears thought as to how such a statement could be forthcoming as this time since the result of the air quality would be pending.   The statement from the Ministry of Health is at best premature and irresponsible. In fact further explanation is required from the Ministry of Health on this matter. Disturbingly, in 2012 the cancer causing chemical Benzene was detected at three times the World Health Organization’s air standard as a result from a fire at the said disposal facility...

We live in a world of intolerance and discrimination of various forms. On March 20, 1960 under the apartheid regime of the South African government sixty nine (69) black demonstrators in the town of Sharpeville were shot and killed in cold blood as they demonstrated against the unfair and discriminatory policies of the white government.    This massacre outraged the international community and became known as the Sharpeville massacre. This horrendous and inhumane event resulted in the United Nations (UN) setting aside March 21 as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.   Each year since 1966 the world pauses on March 21 to commemorate the events of 1960 as well as to remind people of the negative consequences of racism. The theme for the 2015 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is “learning from historical tragedies to combat racial discrimination Today”. As a people if we don’t know learn from the atrocities of our...

Last Friday, March 13 was a day of havoc and panic for many Jamaican students who attend school in the corporate area and St. Catherine. A number of schools including those at the primary level had to close early due to the smoke nuisance from the Riverton City landfill. The confusion which occurred at some schools clearly speaks to the poor leadership of some of our schools, as well as, the unpreparedness of our schools in the event of a natural disaster such as an earthquake. According to reports from the fire department the fire at the Riverton City dump is expected to take a few more days to extinguish. This would clearly mean that primary school children sitting the annual Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) scheduled for March 19 th and 20 th , 2015 would be severely impacted.    All stakeholders in education, as well as the general public need to know what contingency measures are in place in the event that schools are forced to close on the day of the Grade Six Achieve...

The Transatlantic Slave Trade has been the single most critical factor in shaping and molding the lives of people of African descent. A critical component of the slave trade was the forcibly breakup of the family unit in which the male’s role was reduced to a mere stud.   Disturbingly, in a post- plantation Jamaican society the remnants of the plantation culture are very much alive and continue to negatively impact us.  The continued abuse  and murder of our children threaten the very existence and social fabric of the society and require serious intervention.   At the root of the upheaval in the Jamaican society is a state of “fatherlessness” which has now become common place in our culture. According to the 2012 Survey of Living Conditions the vast majority of Jamaicans households are headed by single females. As a result a significant number of boys lack positive male role models.   Sadly, Jamaica, s education system does not adequately cater to the holistic...

Every year on the first Wednesday of March, the global community pauses to celebrate World Read Aloud Day. It was extremely disappointing that March 4, 2015 passed without any mentioning of the significance of the day in the local media or by the Ministry of Education. As a result our schools were not involved in this global effort which aims at improving literacy skills. World Read Aloud Day aims to motivate children and adults to celebrate the power of words. The day is observed and celebrated by more than eighty countries worldwide. It is very important that as a society we try to as much as possible to cultivate and do all within our powers and resources to bring awareness to the importance of words. If we are truly concerned about the flight of our children we must show this in practical ways by empowering and securing their future. We must especially engage our boys and young men in reading. A significant number of boys and men viewed reading with suspicion.   Disturbingly, ...

Undoubtedly, Jamaica’s children are at risk. The appalling and horrendous beheading of second form student Kayalicia Simpson of the Donald Quarrie High School clearly reinforces this sad reality which has become common place for many of our children. Ironically, on the day when the nation’s schools were commemorating and celebrating Peace Day the life of this promising fourteen year girl was being snuffed out. Disturbingly, since the start of the year fifteen children have been brutally murdered. Alarmingly, with each murder of a child the social consciousness and psyche of the society seems unmoved.   A routine has developed we can expect the articulate minority in the society to write a few letters, however, after the dust has settled it will be business as usual. The society clearly needs a spiritual awakening to stem the tide of murders wrecking havoc on the nation’s children. Our children are our most prized possession. We must do much more to protect them and as such saf...

The adage, ‘to be poor is a crime’ is quite familiar to most of us. However, poverty is much more. It can be argued that poverty is a form of punishment that delays and stifle the full potential of human development.   Poverty is a chronic and crippling condition that affects the mind, body and spirit of human beings. Poverty is a universal social condition which affects a significant number of the world’s population.   According to the World Bank, in 2011, seventeen per cent (17%) of the people in the developing world lived at or below $1.25US a day. This means that 1.4 billion people or twenty one per cent (21%) of the world’s population live in extreme poverty and this is most unacceptable.   Disturbingly, women and children account for a sizeable portion of those who live in poverty. Jamaica, like any other developing country continues to struggle with drafting measures to alleviate poverty. According to the 2012 Survey of Living Conditions published by the Statistica...

The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.