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

“If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?”- 1 Corinthians 14:23. Last week the local news was dominated by an unusual happening at the Oberlin High School which is located in West Rural Saint Andrew. Like most schools at the secondary level, Oberlin High School is also a church school. Oberlin High School falls under the institutions affiliated with The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. On the school’s website, it states, students are given the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential and are guided by Christian principles. Since the start of the 2022/2023 academic year Oberlin High School has been receiving a wave of negative publicity. According to a local newspaper a number of Oberlin High School students collapsed and fainted during general devotion. It was also revealed that even after the school was dismissed early, students collapsed outside...

“No place is safe until polio has been eradicated everywhere. As long as the virus still exists somewhere in the world, it can spread – including in our own country. We now have a realistic chance to eradicate polio completely.”- Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany. Globally, millions of children are at a heightened risk of contracting polio. Polio is a preventable disease. Unfortunately amid disruptions to vital immunization programmes due to the coronavirus pandemic the time is now for the international community to renew and redouble all efforts to eradicate polio. Polio is a highly contagious and dangerous disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children under 5 years of age. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (e.g. contaminated water or food) a...

“If you care about Black women’s health, you have to care about our hair.” – Professor Wendy Greene. There are some news stories which have not received the traction as it ought to have had. Needless to say most stories associated with us as Blacks are not given the prominence in traditional media as against stories concerning whites. This is not surprising given that those who tell our stories do not share our skin colour. Additionally, the owners of traditional media are overwhelmingly white. Recently, researchers noted that Black women may have a higher risk of uterine cancer than women who reported not using chemical hair straightening products. This ground-breaking research was done by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A group of researchers with the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences looked at the hair care habits of more than 33,000 women and found that those who used chemical hair straightening products at least four times a year were more than tw...

“Poverty is a denial of human rights for every individual. Indeed, poverty is utterly appalling. Not only does it lead to a life of daily deprivation, hunger and suffering, but it also prevents the enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms, which every human being should be able to enjoy without hindrance."- Kofi Annan- Former Secretary-General of the United Nations. Dignity for all in practice is the theme of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty . On December 22, 1992, the United Nations General Assembly declared October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The dignity of the human being is not only a fundamental right in itself but constitutes the basis of all other fundamental rights. Therefore, “Dignity” is not an abstract concept: it belongs to each and every one. Today, many people living in persistent poverty experience their dignity being denied and disrespected. Data from the United Nations (UN) shows that an estimated 1.3 billio...

“As we age, we utilize our back and our neck more and more.”- Dr. Mo Bydon- spine surgeon at Mayo Clinic. It is safe to say we have all experienced pain. Globally, it is estimated that over 540 million people suffer with low back pain at any one time. Lower back pain remains the leading cause of years lived with disability. Unfortunately, we do not have a strong history of occupational safety in the society. Many of us spend long hours seated which is not good for our spines. World Spine Day is observed annually on October 16. World Spine Day recognizes the lack of access to quality spine care and rehabilitation in under-served communities, which results in chronicity and permanent deformity. For many populations, spinal pain and disability is not just a minor inconvenience, it can mean not being able to work and provide food and sustenance. It is believed World Spine Day is the largest global public health event dedicated to promoting spinal health and well-being. World Spine Day ...

“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. Historically, the voices of women have been muted. Unfortunately, women’s active contribution to the farming sector remains often hidden and unpaid. Rural women have had to bear a voiceless atmosphere in both the private and public domains. Many of us have been experiencing food insecurity for the first time in our memories. There are some scholars who have argued that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for the global food insecurity. The international community commemorates the International Day of Rural Women on October 15. This year’s theme is “Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All” . The day is set aside to highlight the essential role that rural women and girls play in the food systems of the world. Most if not all of us enjoy good food, however we oftentimes do not make the connect...

Vision is our most important sense as our eyesight drives our perception. Eye conditions are remarkably common. Those who live long enough will experience at least one eye condition during their lifetime. Vision impairment affects people of all ages. In many instances teachers are the ones who identify that something is wrong with a student as oftentimes students complain that they are unable to read what is written on the whiteboard. Screening for eye conditions should be done at least once per year. Usually some of eye conditions are hereditary and in such cases screening might be required more often. In low- and middle-income settings the burden of vision impairment can be even greater due to fewer opportunities to access the most essential eye care services. In Jamaica, most private ophthalmologists charge approximately $10,000 per visit. A pair of eye glasses can easily cost over a $100,000 and it is not uncommon for many in the societiy to have outdated prescription lens due t...