Author name: Professor Canute Thompson

As a student of leadership, I am always looking for lessons from the issues which confront organisations and societies.  Indeed, my upcoming 2026 book is titled: Leadership Opportunities: Policy and Development Implications from Jamaica’s Recent Experiences. The underlying philosophy of looking for lessons, is rooted in something my parents taught me, namely that sitting down and crying when […]

I am on record as being a supporter of mandatory voting as a feature of Jamaica’s democracy. I make the case in my 2018 book, Leadership and Governance in Jamaica: Towards a Better Society.  My argument was made, in part, in the context of a strategy to weaken the hold of political garrisons on the Jamaican electoral

The recent coverage  by the Jamaica Observer of the Ministry of Education’s announcement that over 2,000 teachers have been “granted” leave for the 2025–2026 academic year presents a worrying narrative. By framing the approval of leave as an act of generosity, the Ministry and by extension, the media risks undermining the rights of teachers and distracting the public

Editor’s note: The following is the final of a three-part article. Parts 1. and 2 were published on July 3 and 12, 2025, respectively. This series presents a response to a Gleaner article which was published on June 1, 2025. In the previous two parts of this article series; we have seen that; with an

Editor’s note: The following is part two of a three-part article. Part 2 was published on July 3, 2025. This series presents a response to a Gleaner article which was published on June 1, 2025. In Part 1 of this series it was noted that, the Jamaica school system is severely strained with an estimated

It is not a debate that a policy that supports the advancement of education and youth development ought to be supported and strengthened in the realm of good governance and transparency.  For too long, rural Jamaican students have been left stranded, literally. In remote communities across Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, Clarendon, and Portland among other parishes, children

Editor’s note: The following is part one of a three-part article. This series presents a response to a Gleaner article which was published on June 1, 2025. The Jamaican educational system has been in a crisis for many years. Lately, this crisis has gotten worse. I was deeply disturbed by a Gleaner article titled: ‘Left behind:

In Part 1, we explored the “R” in R.E.P. — Restore Integrity — by arguing that Members of Parliament (MPs) must return to their constitutional function as lawmakers and representatives, not local welfare officers. This second step in the civic reset takes us to the “E” in his or her duty as a “REP”: Empower Local Government. If

In an era where global educational discourses are increasingly shaped by issues of equity, justice, and inclusion, culturally responsive leadership emerges not as an idealistic vision, but as a practical necessity. For schools in the Caribbean, especially Jamaica, where histories of colonialism, structural inequities, and cultural hybridity persist, education cannot afford to be culturally neutral. Leadership that

On May 3, 2025, the Jamaican Parliament triumphantly passed a long-anticipated Green Paper outlining the job description and code of conduct for Members of Parliament (MPs). This milestone was positioned as a move toward greater accountability, but beneath the surface of this fanfare moment lurks a sinister truth: it formalises confusion, obfuscation, and law-breaking rather than