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

Between 2006 and 2025, over 1,600 journalists were killed around the world, with close to 6 out of 7 cases remaining judicially unresolved, according to the UNESCO Observatory of Killed Journalists. Impunity leads to more killings and is often a symptom of worsening conflict and the breakdown of law and judicial systems. In recent years, declining press freedom worldwide has exposed journalists to growing threats—including escalating attacks, judicial harassment through Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation (SLAPPs), arbitrary detention, intimidation, and murder—making independent journalism increasingly dangerous. Remembrance and the Call to Accountability The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI) is observed annually on November 2 to break the cycle of violence against media workers and dismantle the global culture of impunity. The United Nations General Assembly established this day in 2013 to address the staggering reality that nearly 90%...

Education is frequently marketed as the great equalizer a universal currency that guarantees upward mobility, civic engagement, and long-term security. Yet, this premise is increasingly proving counterfeit. According to the 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report by UNESCO, 273 million children and youth worldwide are out of school, a staggering figure representing roughly one in six school-age individuals. While these global figures outline a massive crisis of access, they fail to capture the subtler, more insidious reality happening inside classrooms: a form of "educational apartheid" characterized by profound disengagement, systemic alienation, and a widening chasm between what formal schooling offers and what street-level cultures reward. The Local Reality: Pathways and Foundational Gaps . This global disconnect manifests sharply in local contexts like Jamaica's educational landscape. Upon the release of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination results, stud...

3.4 billion people worldwide lack access to adequate housing, secure tenure, basic services, or affordable living conditions, including over 1 billion people living in informal settlements and slums. As urban populations rapidly grow, access to adequate housing is becoming a defining challenge for cities worldwide. Poor housing conditions, overcrowding, barriers to accessibility, and exposure to heat, cold, air pollution, and environmental hazards can negatively affect health across a person's life course. At the same time, investing in healthy housing can generate significant benefits for individuals, communities, and health systems. Globally, "housing for all" has become a catchphrase, yet urban planners and those tasked with providing affordable, sustainable housing are falling below the standard. Sadly, the "tenement yard" or "big yard" remains a reality for many residents, bringing along numerous social issues. Housing is far more than just a roof...

Today, October 29, is World Stroke Day . With the global theme "Every Minute Counts, " there has never been a more critical time to educate ourselves. Did you know that 1 in 4 people will experience a stroke in their lifetime? Over 12 million people suffer a stroke each year, yet up to 90% of strokes are entirely preventable. Public education is our strongest tool to change these statistics. A stroke is a serious, life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when blood flow to your brain is blocked or when a blood vessel in your brain bursts. When a stroke happens, brain cells begin to die in minutes. Understanding the different forms it can take is the first step in saving a life. The Main Types of Stroke . Ischemic Stroke: Making up about 85% to 87% of all cases, this is the most common type. It happens when a blood clot or fatty deposit blocks an artery carrying blood and vital oxygen to the brain Hemorrhagic Stroke: This occurs when a blood vessel in the brain leaks o...

Think about the last time you watched a piece of historical footage or listened to a decades-old recording. Maybe it was a political speech, a clip of a forgotten musical tradition, or a vintage broadcast of everyday life in a city halfway across the globe. Did you feel an instant connection to the past? That is the power of audiovisual heritage. There is a feeling of nostalgia when we listen to or watch recordings of the past. But this heritage is incredibly fragile. Every day, thousands of unique recordings face the threat of physical decay, neglect, and technological obsolescence. Safeguarding fragile audiovisual formats is vital to preserve human history, cultural identity, and collective memory. Audiovisual materials capture the true voices, sights, and sounds of past events. They embody unique community traditions, oral histories, languages, and artistic expressions. Indigenous languages, local music, and community stories live inside these unique recordings. In 2005, the Unit...

Those of us who do not stutter may think that stuttering is not a big deal. Yet, for those who stutter, it is a huge deal. Young children get teased for their speech. School-age children may not participate in classroom activities. Employers may choose not to hire someone who stutters. The British Stammering Association defines stammering, otherwise known as stuttering, as a neurological condition that makes it physically hard to speak. Someone who stammers may repeat sounds or syllables, make sounds longer, get stuck on certain words or have words that don’t come out at all, despite knowing what they want to say. More than 70 million people around the world stutter. This means that while talking, they repeat syllables, sounds or words. People who stutter also prolong sounds or experience unwanted interruptions in their speech. They know what they want to say, but are unable to produce a normal flow of speech. This disorder usually affects children between the ages of 2 and 6. This is ...

Culture is never static. The Jamaican culture is as diverse as it is misunderstood. Brand Jamaica is renowned globally and works extremely well in attracting millions of tourists to our shores annually. Whether it is our language, dance, food or our social norms, Jamaicans stand out in any crowd. UNESCO defines culture as the collective beliefs, values, customs, and practices that characterize a particular group or society. It encompasses language, art, religion, and social norms, shaping how individuals interact with one another and perceive the world. A society therefore must be intentional in preserving and passing on their culture. We cannot take our foot off the pedal of socialization. While the process of socialization should begin at home we are mindful that many families are dysfunctional and the education system becomes the primary agent of socialization. The education system is often expounded as the vehicle to pass on the values and attitudes of the society. However, our s...

”Global hunger isn’t about the absence of food. It’s about the presence of entrenched injustice.”- Ray Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America. More than eight per cent of the world population or around 673 million people are not getting enough to eat and going hungry. The United Nations adds that 30% of all food produced globally is lost or wasted annually. These statistics are alarming and should serve as a call to action. This year’s World Food Day should therefore take on an added significance to address global hunger and food security. World Food Day is observed annually on October 16th. The day is set aside to raise global awareness about hunger, malnutrition, and the pressing need for sustainable food systems. World Food Day serves as a reminder that access to safe and nutritious food is a fundamental human right, not a privilege. The day unites nations, communities, and individuals in reaffirming a shared commitment to end hunger, strengthen food security, and build a future w...

“Rural women play a critical role in ensuring the world can be fed - yet they continue to experience systemic racism, structural poverty and discrimination.”- António Guterres, UN Secretary-General. Women have long confronted a culture of exclusion. Today, rural women remain especially vulnerable to these systemic barriers, even though women make up nearly 40 percent of the world's agricultural labor force. Rural women have less access to a range of resources, from land rights and credit to education and technology. Although women make up almost four out of every ten people in the agricultural workforce, they own only about 15 percent of agricultural land. Structural barriers and discriminatory social norms continue to constrain women’s decision-making power and political participation in rural households and communities. Women and girls in rural areas lack equal access to productive resources and assets, public services, such as education and health care, and infrastructure, inclu...

Globally, more than a billion people live with a mental health condition. Life often comes at us hard. Yet, we must find ways and means of coping. Our overall wellbeing is hinged on the state of our mental wellness. Unfortunately, due to the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental wellness many of us suffer in silence. It is this prolonged period of suffering that often translates into a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental disorder. Traditional masculinity norms such as pushing for toughness, emotional control, and total self-reliance considerably hinder men's mental health by discouraging help-seeking and forcing distress into masked symptoms like anger, substance use, or suicide. Many mental health conditions can be effectively treated at relatively low cost, yet health systems remain significantly under-resourced and treatment gaps are wide all over the world. Mental health care is often poor in quality when delivered. People with mental health conditions often also experie...

Around the world, teachers continue to face excessive workloads, insufficient salaries, growing administrative burdens, a growing culture of disrespect, poor working conditions, attacks on academic freedom and professional autonomy, as well as worsening teacher shortages. At the same time, teachers are helping learners navigate the impacts of conflict, inequality, climate change, technological transformation, and democratic challenges. Yes, the job description of the teacher is never-ending. World Teachers’ Day is held annually on October 5 to celebrate all teachers around the globe. The day is set aside to commemorate the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment...

It is the best of times; it is the worst of time. Aging is morphed into a mixed bag of emotions. Without support this phase of one’s life can be quite lonely and challenging. Unfortunately, many of us are unprepared for the changes that come with growing older. Humanity is living longer than ever. The United Nations (UN) states that global life expectancy has risen increasingly for over seven decades, yet the gap between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy reached 9.6 years in 2019, reflecting the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. Longer lives are drawing greater attention to how health, social and economic conditions, and human rights are experienced. Longevity intersects with health systems, labour markets, social protection, education, housing and fiscal sustainability in ways that cannot be addressed in isolation. Where years are lived in good health and supported by inclusive labour markets and effective social protection, longer lives can generate a longevity ...

All children can learn, all children must learn. Taken at face value this is true. However, upon closer examination those who know better are very much aware that there are many learning challenges that hinder children from learning. Jamaica’s education system is faced with many challenges but, perhaps the most prevalent barriers to education are Language-Based Learning Disabilities (LBLD). Language-based learning disabilities can take several forms. Some of the most common include: dyslexia and dysgraphia. Children with Language-based Learning Disabilities usually have problems reading, spelling, speaking, and writing. Students who have difficulty in these areas often have challenges in school, since weak language skills make comprehension and communication more difficult. It is important to understand that language-based learning disabilities are unrelated to a child’s intelligence. According to Dr. Susan Anderson, a special education expert, dyslexia is the most common learning dis...

“Each time we choose dialogue over division and cooperation over confrontation, we strengthen democracy.”- António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General. Democracy is a universally recognized ideal and is one of the core values and principles of the United Nations (UN). Democracy provides an environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights. The UN promotes good governance, monitors elections, supports civil society to strengthen democratic institutions and accountability, ensures self-determination in decolonized countries, and assists in the drafting of new constitutions in post-conflict nations. The International Day of Democracy is celebrated around the world on 15 September each year. This important day was established through a resolution passed by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2007, encouraging governments to strengthen and consolidate democracy. The International Day is an opportunity to review the state of democracy around the world....

Caves and Karst landscapes are vital yet often underappreciated environments. A Karst is a distinctive topography in which the landscape is largely shaped by the dissolving action of water mainly on carbonate bedrock (usually limestone, dolomite, or marble). This geological process, occurring over many thousands of years, results in unusual surface and subsurface features ranging from sinkholes, vertical shafts, disappearing streams, and springs, to complex underground drainage systems and caves. They host extraordinary biodiversity, provide drinking water resources and support livelihoods of millions of people. They are also sources of cultural heritage, natural resources, and recreational opportunities. Caves and karst landscapes cover nearly a quarter of the Earth's land surface and provide drinking water to more than a billion people. Shaped over millennia by the slow dissolution of soluble rock, these hidden environments preserve unique subterranean biodiversity, irreplaceabl...

The term Global South covers Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, developing parts of Asia (excluding Japan, Israel, and South Korea), and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand). The Global South includes 134 countries that are home to about 80 per cent of the world’s population. Yet representation at the international level often does not reflect the growing importance and geopolitical power of the Global South. The UN reports that developing countries paid a record US$921 billion to service external debt in 2024. This level of external debt by the Global South is disempowering to governments in this region, stripping them of their economic power to adequately provide quality education and proper healthcare for their citizenry. This is problematic. As a result, many citizens who live in the Global South are skeptical of the true intention of the United Nations (UN). They often view the workings of the UN as exclusionary and more in favour of the Global North. The United N...