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

“Safety is not an intellectual exercise to keep us in work. It is a matter of life and death. It is the sum of our contributions to safety management that determines whether the people we work with live or die.”- Sir Brian Appleton. Our fundamental right at work is one of safety and a healthy environment. Unfortunately, many places of work fail to meet minimum standards and as a result numerous employees work in hazardous and unhealthy working conditions which negatively impact their health. The statistics are alarming. Stress, excessively-long working hours and disease, contribute to the deaths of nearly 2.8 million workers every year, while an additional 374 million people get injured or fall ill because of their jobs, according to the UN labour agency, the International Labour Organization. (ILO). The National Safety Council states that a worker is hurt on the job every 7 seconds. That means 510 people are injured every hour, 12,600 a day, 88,500 a week, and 4,600,000 employees a...

“To create a more diverse and inclusive tech world, we need to inspire and empower the next generation of female role models to pursue and develop their career in technology and become innovators, leaders and entrepreneurs.”- Anna Radulovski. The education system is riddled with numerous inequalities which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no level playing field; not all schools are equal in terms of students’ outcome. Some of our schools have a strong tradition of doing well in the sciences and in technology; on the other hand some schools are not as well resourced for various reasons and perform poorly in these critical areas. Our parents are very much aware of this fact hence the fight to get their children into those schools which are perceived in the wider society as schools of choice. Traditionally, subjects such as physics and chemistry have not been viewed as subjects for girls and this has been problematic. As the international community observes The Int...

“Even though women have shape intellectual property, law and policy they are underrepresented today as inventors. Narrowing gender gaps in trade and intellectual property is morally overdue and smart economics.”- Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, World Trade Organization (WTO). The world’s first copyright law was the Statue of Anne , enacted in England in 1710 by Queen Anne of Great Britain. Every year on April 26th, the World Intellectual Property (IP) Day is celebrated. The international campaign presents a special opportunity each year to join forces with people all around the world to celebrate innovators and creators globally and discover how IP supports a flourishing music and arts scene and boosts technological innovation that helps shape our world. WIPO states that the celebrations this year will focus on all talented women around the world in an effort to promote the development of more inclusive and diverse IP ecosystems that accelerate innovation, creativity and ...

“Defeating malaria is absolutely critical to ending poverty, improving the health of millions, and enabling future generations to reach their full potential.”- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Malaria is transmitted through the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. Nearly half of the world’s population is at risk. World Malaria Day is held each year on April 25th. This annual event is a worldwide effort, to raise awareness of Malaria and funds for the treatment and prevention of malaria. The day is set aside to highlight the need for better political intervention in malaria control and prevention. The day also marks the continuing great achievements in the fight against Malaria. The theme this year is “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement”. What is Malaria? According to the The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito which feeds on humans. Peop...

“Indeed, books are vital vehicles to access, transmit and promote education, science, culture and information worldwide."- Audrey Azoulay Director-General of UNESCO. Name the last book you read; there is no need to worry becasue you are not alone. Unfortunately, our libraries are no longer the reservoir where information can be garnered through the reading of a book; instead they have become monuments of a past era. World Book Day was created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 23rd April 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. World Book Day is observed in over 100 countries around the globe. The first World Book Day in the United Kingdom and Ireland took place in 1997 to encourage young people to discover the pleasure of reading. The theme for World Book Day 2023 is “Indigenous Languages.” The theme is focused on the native languages of a country. Successive governments have failed to ignite the passion and fan the...

“The earth is what we all have in common.”- Wendell Berry. What plans do you have regarding the observation of Earth Day? We live in a society and indeed a world where the environment is not always given priority. Too many of us are divorced from the reality that there is an interconnectivity of the environment and our state of health. Undeniably, we cannot continue to harm Mother Earth and not expect a backlash. Governments worldwide are as just as complacent surrounding matters of the environment; money and profit often takes priority over the Earth to the detriment of mankind. Oftentimes governments pay lip service to matters concerning the environment. As a result our development is often stymied due to a holistic approach to development. For example, we continue to litter our surroundings at random and without any care in the world. It has become commonplace to see our gullies littered with debris all across the island. Each year the international community pauses to observe Ear...

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”- Aristotle. There is perhaps no other issue for which Jamaicans are riled up about than the subject of homosexuality or same sex relationships. Jamaicans pride themselves as having a God-fearing country; yet Jamaica has over the years recorded the highest or close to the highest homicide rates for the last few years. Jamaica has continued to grapple with the idea of moving away from its current form of Constitutional Monarchy to that of a Republic. Many Jamaicans continue to be incensed regarding a lack of apology from the British Royal Family to the Jamaican people concerning their fundamental role in the enslavement of Jamaicans which lasted over 4 centuries. The current government led by Andrew Holness recently announced the establishment of a Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC) which has been tasked to arrive at a way forward for the country to transition to becoming a Republic. In bec...

“He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come; see the place where the Lord lay.”- St. Matthew 28:6. Easter holds a special place in our hearts and collective consciousness. Regardless of our world perspective and or religious faith; Easter serves as a time of hope and renewal. Centuries ago the world waited for three days for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Centuries later there is still that sense of expectancy and regeneration among humanity. Truth is Easter this year has taken on an added significance. The various hot spots across the world have made our global community less safe. Among these are the on-going war in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s invasion; the ongoing unrest in the Middle East the birthplace of Christ; the war in Yemen and parts of Nigeria. There is also the alarming homicide rates across Latin America and the Caribbean; the persistent and crippling debt burden; the desperation among migrants from North Africa as they risk it all to cross the raging Medi...

“Health is a basic human right. Everyone should be able to access quality health services whenever & wherever they need them.” - United Nations. Regardless of our socio-economic background we all want and yearn for affordable healthcare. In some developed countries healthcare services are free and indeed viewed as a human right. In such societies the citizenry have ready access to world class healthcare systems. However, in more developing countries one has to pay to access public healthcare and this is problematic and comes with a myriad of problems. Indeed some of the problems include long wait time for appointment dates for specialized healthcare services such as surgeries. Recently, Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness made a public appeal to locate persons who have been waiting for elective surgeries for over a year for hernia, prostate, fibroids or other womb-related operations. The Health Ministry said that such persons should make contact with them by May 31st. The fac...

“To measure the success of our societies, we should examine how well those with different abilities, including persons with autism, are integrated as full and valued members.”- Ban Ki-Moon. Autism has become more common than at any other time in our history. Almost all families have at least one member who is autistic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 1 percent of the world’s population has Autism Spectrum Disorder; over 75,000,000 people. In 2022, 1 in every 100 children was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. On a recent visit to the supermarket I saw a mother and her son in a verbal encounter. This exchange between mother and child drew a small crowd. The child was probably about 5 years old and was throwing a fit of temper. Other shoppers whispered that the boy was autistic and that the mother should not reprimand him in that manner. The boy was screaming and yelling on top of his lungs for a food item which was in his mother’s hand to be cashed. Howe...