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

By 2030, over 500 million people are expected to have disabling hearing loss requiring rehabilitation. Over one billion young people face the risk of permanent hearing loss due to prolonged exposure to loud sounds during recreational pastimes such as listening to music and video game play. Many of us take our hearing for granted. Hearing is one of our most essential senses, facilitating communication and connection with the world around us. The impacts of hearing loss are extensive and can be weighty. They include a loss of the ability to communicate with others, delayed language development in children, which can lead to social isolation, loneliness and frustration, particularly among older people with hearing loss. Unattended hearing loss in children can impact their academic performance and options for employment. Regrettably, children with hearing loss and deafness in developing countries rarely receive any schooling. The World Health Organization (WHO) adds that unaddressed hear...

“Everyone is crying out for peace, none is crying out for justice. I need equal rights and justice."- Peter Tosh. Each March the society pauses to observe Peace Day in our educational institutions. The fact that Peace Day is being observed in our schools is disconcerting. This issue at hand speaks to the wider societal problems of conflict and strife which have plagued the nation for years. While schools are supposed to be safe spaces, most of our schools are part of an education system synonymous with oppression and injustice. Those with power and authority often make policies in a culture where consultation is absent. This high-handed top down approach is rooted in our history of enslavement where one class believes they have all the rights without corresponding responsibility. The rule of law is selectively applied to various stakeholders in a biased and punitive way. Unfortunately, our schools have become sites of injustice where meritocracy is shunned. The positional power w...

“Our planet’s magnificent biodiversity is priceless, but conserving it comes at a cost. Each year, hundreds of billions of dollars are needed to close the global wildlife conservation finance gap; a gap we must bridge to ensure the survival of species and the ecosystems that sustain us all.”- Ivonne Higuero- Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). For many of us the wild is a place of unknown variables. Oftentimes we bring our biases to the wildlife due to misinformation and a sense of fear. However, the wild is a place of beauty, resilience and balance. United Nations World Wildlife Day (WWD) is celebrated every year on 3 March to celebrate wild animals and plants. Every year, we recognize the unique roles and contributions of wildlife to people and the planet. This year's theme is 'Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet' . With more than one million species at risk of exti...