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

“We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.”- Toni Morrison Since 2000, the international community has been celebrating the International Mother Language Day on February 21.   The observation of the day was an initiative of Bangladesh and was facilitated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).   The significance of the day is rooted in the need to promote linguistic and cultural multiplicity. According to UNESCO, linguistic diversity is increasingly being threatened as more and more languages disappear. Disturbingly, 40 per cent of global population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand.   Interestingly, the theme for this year’s International Mother Language Day is “Indigenous language as a factor of development, peace and reconciliation.” This year’s theme coincidences with the fact the United Nations have designated ...

“I hadn’t been aware that there were doors closed to me until I started knocking on them.”- Gertrude Elion The lack of female representation in Science is problematic.   On February 11 the United Nations along with the international community commemorates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.   Despite the fact that women represent half of the world’s population a United Nations survey concluded that the probability of female students graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in science is 18 per cent, compared to 37 per cent for males. The theme this year is “Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth.” As a society we absolutely rejoice that more girls are attending school than at any other time in our history, yet we must be concerned that girls continue to be under-represented in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).   According to the United Nations less than thirty per cent of researchers globally a...

“We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.”- Sheryl Sandberg For centuries the policing of women’s bodies have been facilitated through various cultural practices, as well as through numerous institutions such as the medical and legal professions. Women continue to face discrimination from being denied access to an education, to being subjected to forced sterilization and other human rights abuses made possible through the system of patriarchy. Historically, medicine has always been male dominated. Healthcare gender bias has had a very long history from Aristotle’s distinction between the superior male “form” and the inferior female “matter” to the medieval notion that women were unbalanced due to their wombs.   Despite the fact that more women have broken through the proverbial class ceiling and have entered the medical profession women’s health sti...

“I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong.”- George Washington According to the WTTC travel and tourism accounts for more than 313 million jobs as well 10.4 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or 9.9 per cent of total employment in 2017.   The travel and tourism industry is especially vital to Caribbean societies. Tourism is very often referred to as the engine of growth for Caribbean islands. The tourism industry is a major player in providing employment both directly and indirectly in the region. A survey done in 2010 by the Oxford Economic Organization found that tourism played a larger role in Caribbean economies than it did in any of other region. Effects of Partial Government Shutdown on the Travel and Tourism Industry We are all familiar with the saying if the United States economy sneezes the economies of the region come down with a cold. Due lar...

The truth is painful yet liberating; it peals away the myopic veil from one’s eyes and provides oxygen for one’s soul. August 22, 2018 will always be etched in my memory and I suspect in the memory of my siblings as well. My dad has been in relatively good health especially given his age. You see my dad is an octogenarian. His yearly physicals were good until the summer of 2018 when something showed up. It is never good news when you receive a call from your family doctor.   I had no choice but to go and speak with the doctor who told me that my dad needed to see a specialist for further consultation regarding his kidneys. At that very moment the worst thoughts come to visit with no intention to leave. God is good! The entire family had some amount of fear. The year was 1982; I lost my beloved aunt Madge on my mother’s side of the family to renal failure. I was in primary school then but her death nonetheless affected me greatly. She was the first family member to have died; she di...

Many classrooms in Jamaica are impacted by the lingering and life changing effects of trauma. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines trauma as an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or natural disaster. According to the APA immediately after the event shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and even physical symptoms like headache and nausea.    Students in Jamaica for the most part have become collateral pawns in the almost daily incidents of domestic and intimate violence and abuse which many families experience. Recently, the all girls St. Hugh’s High School community suffered the loss of one of their brightest student when 15 year Tashi Munda died after her home was fire-bombed allegedly by her step father. Sadly, this type of trauma keeps repeating itself across the educational landscape affecting students in various school communities in both ur...

“Good habits formed at youth make all the difference.”- Aristotle According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) youth is the period of transition from the dependence of childhood to adulthood’s independence and awareness of our interdependence as members of a community. The United Nations defines youth as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years without prejudice to other definitions by Member States.    A number of activities are held yearly during youth month to help raise awareness and provide a platform for youths on issues, such as unemployment, credit financing, training, entrepreneurship, health and wellness, climate change and affordable housing. One such function was staged on Thursday, November 29 at the University of the West Indies, Regional Headquarters at Mona. This Youth Forum had as its theme Youth: Keeping Us More Accountable on the SDGs. The United Nations (UN) developed seventeen sustainable development ...