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

“People of all backgrounds deserve access to accurate, comprehensive, and age-appropriate sexual health education and care.”- Nicole Sheitz. Most men do not usually think about the health of their sperm until they are ready for fatherhood. Most of us tend to be reserved and sheepish regarding any discussion about sexuality in general and bodily fluids in particular. Men in particular are not fond of going to the doctor. The duality concerning how we are socialized and the skewed perception surrounding the construction of masculinity and manhood are largely to be blamed for how men view visiting their doctor. Additionally, the prevailing narrative, in some quarters, that men must be void of emotions has led to some men avoiding the doctor at all costs. The medicalization of the human anatomy serves as another barrier that some men must overcome in order to seek medical help at the earliest possible time. Unfortunately, popular and the counter cultures also operate in a space that dis...

“To anyone out there who’s hurting — it’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help. It’s a sign of strength.” - Barack Obama. Mental illness is more prevalent than we think. Suicide is a major public health challenge. It is estimated that there are currently more than 700,000 suicides per year worldwide. Suicide is a preventable tragedy, yet it remains a leading cause of death, particularly among young people. In Jamaica, suicide rates are alarming, especially in the under-45 age categories, where the burden of mental health challenges is often unnoticed. According to recent Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) data, the suicide rate in Jamaica is approximately 2.4 per 100,000 people. Each suicide has far-reaching social, emotional, and economic consequences, and deeply affects individuals and communities worldwide. World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) was established in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention in conjunction with the World Health Organization (...

“Acquiring literacy is an empowering process, enabling millions to enjoy access to knowledge and information which broadens horizons, increases opportunities and creates alternatives for building a better life.”- Kofi Annan. Despite steady progress made across the world, literacy challenges persist with at least 763 million young people and adults lacking basic literacy skills in 2020. Since 1967, International Literacy Day (ILD) celebrations have taken place annually around the world to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights, and to advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society. The importance of our basic human rights to literacy is celebrated and observed on International Literacy Day on September 8 annually. The day is dedicated to promoting the importance of literacy as a tool for empowering individuals and building more inclusive societies. Established by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and...

“Inclusive education is a process that requires a profound cultural shift to attain one education system for all learners with the provision of supports, inclusive of all marginalized and/or vulnerable groups.”- The World Bank. As the new academic year begins stakeholders in the education circle must take a reality check in order to come to grasp regarding the learning loss of students that occurred over the summer holidays. However, on the other side we must ask what is being done in our schools across the primary and secondary levels in order to remedy the learning loss. The reality for a significant number of students is one rooted in economics. Most students are forced to work during this time off from school in order to prepare themselves financially to assist in back to school supplies. Unfortunately, another cohort of those students who worked during the summer will not return to school especially young men in the upper grades at the secondary level who are indifferent to the...

“Politics is like a stage. Each politician plays his part according to the lines that are given to him.”-Ashwin Sanghi. Women’s Leadership and Political Participation . The phrase 'glass ceiling' refers to an invisible barrier that prevents someone from achieving further success. It is most often observed in the workplace. It is covert and cannot be seen. The term was first printed in a 1984 book by Gay Bryant. 'Cracking the glass ceiling' is the phrase used when women or people in minority groups have made gains or achieved some success in the workplace. In the United States of America women have occupied all offices except that of president. Harris is on the cusp of history. A Harris presidency will break the ‘glass ceiling’ and send a strong signal to girls that they are worthy of holding any office in the land. Globally, only 7.2 per cent of Heads of State and 5.7 per cent of Heads of Government are women, only 19.1 per cent of Speakers of parliament are women, an...

“The prosperity Gospel has no concept of the sovereignty of God. I’ll even go so far to say the god of the prosperity gospel is not the God of the Bible.”- Patrick Higgins. The church over the years has moved away from focusing on the teachings of the kingdom of God. The church has become a multimillion industry rooted in a prosperity gospel theology leading to the enrichment of self styled bishops and apostles. Regrettably, the Holy Spirit is just a back seat visitor in many of these churches while the congregants ‘worship’ these self appointed men of the cloth. What does the Bible says about this? Let us turn the pages of our Bibles to 1 Timothy 3:1-13, "this is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who...

On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, let us reaffirm the inherent dignity of all men, women and children. And let us redouble our efforts so that the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -– “no one shall be held in slavery or servitude”.-Kofi Annan. The transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans remains one of the most horrific and traumatizing periods in human history. The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is commemorated on 23 August each year. The transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, which operated between the fifteenth and late nineteenth centuries, involved the horrific trafficking of over 15 million women, men and children, mostly from West Africa to the Americas. This forced displacement enriched imperial and other powers. The observance of this important day is critical as it pays homage to the resilience and courage of those who were enslaved in the Americas. Interestingly, while slavery as in the ...