Nearly a year ago, I penned a column on the pervasive ‘pools’ timetabling practice in Jamaican schools, a method I firmly believe is detrimental to student motivation and academic achievement. Today, in the wake of the CXC’s latest report on June...
So impressed was I with Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke in 2020 that I referred to him, on radio, as a rock star in the Holness Cabinet. In past years, there were too many Jamaican finance ministers who were little more than reverberations of...
Over a decade ago, the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Company launched a public education campaign against electricity theft themed around two words and one simple question, “How come?” The campaign achieved some success but perhaps the most lasting...
This year, EARTHDAY.ORG set the theme for Earth Day as ‘Planet vs. Plastics’. In case you were wondering why we picked that specific theme, here’s the reason: Plastic pollutes our planet, our wildlife, all of us, and plastic production also...
THE BEST defence is a good offence. This is the posture of Jamaica’s public health team as we work to ensure the island’s readiness for the possibility of the mpox virus’ re-entry. Formerly referred to as Monkeypox, mpox – a rare disease that is...
As Jamaica approaches the start of a new school year in September, the focus on rebuilding schools damaged by Hurricane Beryl highlights a recurring challenge in the nation’s education system. While infrastructure improvements are necessary, they...
Mr Julian Robinson, People’s National Party (PNP) member of parliament (MP) for South East St Andrew is, to my knowledge, a reasonable man. In a recent address to the PNP Women’s Conference in St Ann two weekends ago, he suggested that pressures...
There are two contending forces in the context of crime and security in Jamaica, though not unique to any country. On one side, there are purveyors of violent crimes who prey on society to enrich themselves, violently engage in revenge against...
The Israeli army bombed the al-Tabin School in Gaza on Saturday, August 10, killing about a hundred Palestinians and injuring many more. The world is now numb to the ongoing genocide. In the aftermath, 18 kilogrammes of body parts is all that a...
Dr Carolyn Cooper does not like Laura Facey’s Emancipation Park monument titled Redemption Song. This is clear from her article that appeared in the Sunday Gleaner of August 4 “Emancipation Park monument a naked disgrace.” I have no problem with...
Evidence from a variety of cross-sectional, longitudinal, and empirical studies implicate smartphone and social media use in the increase in mental distress, self-injurious behaviour and suicides among youth.There is a dose–response relationship,...
The recent $8.2 billion Paris Olympics were an exuberant celebration of the spirit of sports. The stunning opening ceremony along the river Seine saw Aya Nakamura, the sumptuous Malian-French singer influenced by Afrobeats and Caribbean zouk – who...
With Hurricane Beryl hitting the Caribbean, Typhoon Gaemi making landfall in the Philippines, the wildfires in Canada, and the increasing global water insecurity, the climate crisis continues to highlight the need for concerted mitigation and...
In the aftermath of the horrific gun deaths and mayhem which took place at Cherry Tree Lane in Clarendon, the actions taken would be something like this: Long before the nation could allow the pain to seep into our souls, the police personnel...
MANY OF us may be familiar with non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, as silent killers. But there is another silent killer, one to which we must give all due attention: heat. To help us on our way, we have an instructive...
It is fitting that the venue where Jamaica’s Independence celebrations were held on August 6, 1962, is the beloved showcase of a sport widely recognised as the nation’s greatest international achievement. There are good reasons for Jamaicans to...
Responding to a Gleaner query at a Mona Heights flag-raising ceremony on August 6, Patricia Duncan Sutherland, shadow minister for social transformation and protection, expressed a preference for an executive president. This has raised questions...
I have had the privilege of playing basketball every Saturday morning for the last 10 years with a group of gentlemen who simply love the game. We are all in our mid-30s to late 40s, from diverse backgrounds, representing every sector of our...
Beryl has disrupted our summer and, in some cases, wrecked lives. For children, adolescents, and youth, it is an additional challenge to the triple threat they are facing this summer. They face the triple threat of loss of learning, high...
To fairly and legally terminate a contract with a monopoly electrical power provider, a government must follow a structured legal process. This typically involves: Reviewing the contract: The government should first thoroughly review the existing...
The moment Jamaicans became aware that Shelly-Ann and Shericka were late no-shows in their respective races, a raw feeling of deflation washed over our little nation. And if we wanted to be honest with ourselves, we would know that some of the low...
The answer is ... absolutely! I strongly support Carlton Fearon’s proposal in his letter to the editor to separate Jamaica’s power generation from transmission and distribution to enhance competition and efficiency in the energy sector. This...
The PJ Patterson Institute for Africa Caribbean Advocacy joins in the fitting commemoration of Emancipation Day across Jamaica, the wider Caribbean, and nations on the African continent. This day of great historical significance commemorates the...
All aspects of the lives of enslaved people were governed by acts and laws drawn up by the colonisers. In “West Indian Slave Laws of the 18th Century” [1970], Elsa Goveia provides a pan-Caribbean account of such laws. Here we present the second...
In April 2013, Barack Obama was forced to apologise for describing California’s Kamala Harris as “the best-looking attorney general”, also calling her “brilliant”, “dedicated”, and “tough.” America’s first black president was nevertheless widely...
