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

"The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay."- St. Matthew 28:5-6. Easter is without a doubt the most significant of all the religious observances in Christianity. Easter, is the principal festival of the Christian church which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after His Crucifixion. Easter is a time for restoration and reflection. Easter brings renewal regarding our faith and journey with Christ. Christ's resurrection is much more than an event. For Jesus, it was a person. “I am the Resurrection” as in St. John 11:25. The Resurrection is a process that began from the moment Christ was born. The season promotes hope for humanity despite of all the wars and conflicts throughout the world. Thankfully, Easter provides a soothing and calming disposition that allows us to self examine where we are i

“Now I've been free, I know what a dreadful condition slavery is. I have seen hundreds of escaped slaves, but I never saw one who was willing to go back and be a slave.”- Harriet Tubman. It is estimated that over 15 million African women, men and children suffered the horror of enslavement and the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans represents one of the most horrific and traumatizing eras in human history. The United Nations (UN) adds that this radicalized system of enslavement, abducted, trafficked, and brutally dehumanized Africans and their descendants over centuries, leaving a destructive legacy of racism grounded in the false narrative of white supremacy. Countering Racism . A critical way to counter racism with justice is to acknowledge the fundamental dignity, equality, and rights of people of African descent within communities, institutions, policies, laws and governing bodies. The United Nations in recognizing the egregious history a

"Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right."- Psalm 106:3. Regrettably, in most societies, those with a voice are uninterested in speaking out on behalf of those who are voiceless and vulnerable. Societies are built on many layers of corruption and preferential treatment. As a result those with power and resources are oftentimes indebted to those (in the shadows) who are the authors of dishonesty and human rights violations. The right to truth is very much an uphill task and at times this right appears only applicable to the rich and politically connected. According to the United Nations (UN), the right to the truth is often invoked in the context of gross violations of human rights and grave breaches of humanitarian law. The relatives of victims of summary executions, enforced disappearance, missing persons, abducted children and torture, have a right to know what happened to them. The right to the truth implies knowing the full and complete tr

"I have Down’s Syndrome but that is not all I am."-Sarah Gordy. Down Syndrome (DS) impacts approximately 1 in 800 births worldwide. Down Syndrome remains the most common chromosomal condition diagnosed in the United States. Each year, about 6,000 babies born in the United States have Down Syndrome. This means that Down Syndrome occurs in about 1 in every 700 babies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declares that Down Syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome. Chromosomes are small “packages” of genes in the body. They determine how a baby’s body forms and functions as it grows during pregnancy and after birth. Typically, a baby is born with 46 chromosomes. Babies with Down syndrome have an extra copy of one of these chromosomes, chromosome 21. A medical term for having an extra copy of a chromosome is ‘trisomy.’ Down syndrome is also referred to as Trisomy 21. This extra copy changes how the baby’s body and brain develop, which c

Perched in the center is a huge white tent; almost invincible as the hustle and bustle of daily life goes by. The leaves of the grass are once again dancing in the afternoon downpour. Without a doubt there is medicinal magic in the rain water, just ask the plants. The downpour was predictable as the mountains disappeared from viewing. The mountains burst into a symphony of song while the trees clap their hands gleefully. The chairs lay bare and drenched. The opened doors of the tent allowed for the water to gush off the roof making its way inside. The rain is the master. Everything else remains in servitude as nature once again reigns supreme. Changing gears once more; it is now or never. A quick dash along the pavement out of the fury of the afternoon rain. Umbrellas are visible. Two soaked bodies shared a light green small umbrella as they hurried along the cemented area. A change in temperature very much welcomed . It is much cooler now than earlier. One brave or perhaps fool

Deepfakes and misinformation generated by AI could undermine elections and democracy,"- Bill Gates. The ever present threat of falsified information is not new for democracies, but artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to compound these existing problems, particularly in the near-term. Recently, in New Hampshire, a fake version of President Joe Biden’s voice was featured in robocalls that sought to discourage Democrats from participating in the primary. AI images that falsely depicted former President Donald Trump sitting with teenage girls on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane circulated on social media last month. A deepfake posted on Twitter last February portrayed a leading Democratic candidate for mayor of Chicago as indifferent toward police shootings. It is very clear how dangerous and misleading deepfake AI can be not only to elections and democracy but as it relates to one’s reputation. Given that the date for local government elections was on Monday, February 26, 2024 it is imper

“Without mathematics, there’s is nothing you can do. Everything around you is Mathematics. Everything around you is numbers. Shakuntala Devi. Like most societies the teaching of Mathematics continues to be problematic for a significant number of students. The teaching of Mathematics requires a new approach given the poor performances of students over the years. Teachers of Mathematics need to revisit their pedagogical methods regarding the teaching of this numeric subject in order to make it more practical and meaningful to the everyday lives of students. Most students who shy away from Mathematics did not obtain a good foundation in the subject. Teachers of Mathematics need to spend more time setting the foundation. The results from the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) were discouraging for Jamaica in Mathematics. In Jamaica, 26% of students attained at least Level 2 proficiency in mathematics, significantly less than on average across The Organization for

“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development.”- Kofi Annan. Teaching is a very strenuous profession. Teaching therefore necessitates a lot of new strategies, technologies, and ideas which can make this task easier. A reimagined education system is one that leaves no student behind. It is clear that the current half-cocked approaches to literacy instruction have not worked. Yet, for some strange reason, it is business as usual. Regrettably, the education system continues to graduate scores of students who are not literate at both the primary and secondary levels. Yet policymakers continue to apply the same methodology while hoping for a different outcome. The time has come to re-envision our approach to literacy by examining another dimension regarding how we tackle the issue of literacy, especially when it relates to our boys. The current education system is not male-frie

"Gender equality remains the greatest human rights challenge. Investing in women is a human rights imperative and cornerstone for building inclusive societies. Progress for women benefits us all."- World Economic Forum. In a world facing many crises, ranging from geopolitical conflicts to soaring poverty levels and the escalating impacts of climate change, achieving gender equality is more imperative than ever. The United Nations (UN) indicates that one of the key challenges in achieving gender equality by 2030 is an alarming lack of financing with a shocking $360 billion annual deficit in spending on gender equality. According to the United Nations Women, more than 342 million women and girls could be living in extreme poverty by 2030. The time for action is now in order to close the budget deficit concerning gender equality. Without a doubt the needs of women must be prioritized by their governments with a calculated and purposeful plan to incorporate gender-responsive f

“We are digging our graves with our teeth.”- Thomas Moffett. More than 800 million people in the world are currently living with obesity. By 2035 it is estimated that 1.9 billion people globally will be living with obesity. World Obesity Day , observed annually on March 4, is set aside to raise awareness, promote advocacy, enhance policies and facilitate the sharing of experiences in the field of obesity. In most cases, obesity is a multifactorial disease due to psychosocial factors and genetic variants. Obesity is an expensive health issue to treat and manage. Alarmingly, the global costs of overweight and obesity are predicted to reach US$3 trillion per year by 2030, and more than US$18 trillion by 2060. Too often we take a judgmental approach regarding the narrative surrounding obesity. Perhaps this is out of ignorance. Those of us who have ever tried to lose weight know firsthand how challenging this is. On the other hand it is relatively easy to gain weight. Obesity is a co