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

“In the Sahel, where the world’s gravest concerns converge, women and girls bear the brunt.”- Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women. The world is becoming increasingly hostile towards women and girls. Sadly, by now each one of us may know of someone who has been targeted on the basis of gender-based violence. What is equally disturbing is the fact that the public opposition regarding gender-based violence is increasingly deafening. One area of the world where the spotlight dims regarding the rights of women and girls is the Sahel region of Africa. The Sahel, meaning “the shore” in Arabic, is a vast area crossing 6,000 kilometres from East to West Africa. It covers many geographic and agro-ecological systems, 12 countries and is home to 400 million people. The political region of the Sahel, as defined by the United Nations strategy (UNISS), covers 10 countries (Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria). The region faces many cha...

"A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”- Marcus Garvey. The political atmosphere is getting tense. In fact, in some political spaces the tension in the air is palpable. Posters have been defaced or torn down. There have been warnings on the political platforms warning voters not to sell their votes. As in any market place, wherever sellers are buyers are present. One could therefore theorize that democracy is transactional. Does the voter have the right to maximize the leverage of his or her vote? In many instances, after the elections are done and normalcy returns the voters are left on their own to navigate their concerns until another election cycle. Political parties have been pulling in large crowds at various rallies across the country. The governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has been touting their achievements since they wrestled political power, while the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has been making...

“Mental health problems don’t define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but you are not the rain." - Matt Haig. The youth mental health crisis endures, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data released in August. In 2023, 40% of all students, and 53% of girls, experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Nearly 1 in 5 students reported being bullied at school, while 13% missed school because of safety concerns. We oftentimes discount the impact that mental health can have on our students. This misconception frequently leads to policy decisions that are flawed and are counterproductive to teaching and learning. We have all seen, some of us have shared the videos of students acting out due to stress and depression. Yet, mental health is still not openly discussed because of the stigma associated with mental health that we have all contributed to. Our mental wellness is just as imp...

“We can all agree that the quality of teaching is vital, but smaller classes can help teachers provide a more effective education.”-Peter Blatchford- Professor in Psychology and Education. The narrative surrounding education is never short of insights and counter arguments. In a number of instances the views expressed by “experts” are done solely to assuage a particular interest group and not necessarily to fix the broken education system. We must be discerning and interrogate wisely positions concerning educational policies. The current discourse is rooted in literacy and what can be done to increase reading levels of our students. Unfortunately, not much is being said about the impact of class size on students’ outcome. Class size is problematic at both the primary and secondary levels. The more students are in a class the less effective the teacher is. The research is there to support this position. Yet, our classrooms are overcrowded and extremely hot. Poor Indoor Air Quality a...