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May 9, 2022 One of my persistent criticisms about the landscape of Jamaican society (and might I add, including the Church), relates to double standards.  This practice of double standards is often manifested in the unbalanced and disproportionate application of laws and rules.  Even in circumstances in which a decision-maker chooses to exercise mercy, or […]

Dr. Canute Thompson April 20, 2022 Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced, earlier this month, the planned implementation of a mandatory National Youth Service (NYS) programme.  I welcome this announcement, having been calling for this since 2017.  In this brief article I share some of the suggestions I have been making concerning this issue.  These suggestions

Dr. Canute Thompson April 6, 2022 The report of the Orlando Patterson-led “Jamaica Education Transformation Commission, was presented to the government in late 2021 and continues to await public debate.  The Gleaner newspaper is to be commended for its leadership in debating aspects of the report and urging a national discourse.  The government has also,

There is a management dictum which says, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t management it”.  Put differently one cannot solve a problem unless and until the scope of the problem is determined. Jamaica’s education system faces a major, life-time crisis which was bad before the COVID-19 pandemic and has been severely exacerbated by the

Minister of Finance Nigel Clarke has taken (what I regard as) an untimely and unwise decision to place the images of former Prime Ministers Michael Manley and Edward Seaga on a new $2,000 banknote.  At present, the image of Michael Manley appears on the $1,000 note and Seaga appears on none. The entire process involves

Canute S. Thompson The Government of Jamaica, through the Minister of Education, has tabled the gestationally-long “Jamaica Teaching Council Bill” whose purpose, among other things is to: Recognize and promote teaching as a profession; to contribute to improving the quality of teaching and learning in Jamaica by regulating the entry and standing of members of

Editor’s Note: The report of the Jamaica Educational Transformation Commission (JETC) has been submitted. To date, there has been very little public debate on the report. However, some commentators have expressed concern that the report has fallen short of expectations.  In this contributed piece, Dr. Louis Moyston, a historian, equity advocate, and educational consultant, shares

Canute Thompson Today, January 20, 2022, marks the first anniversary of President Biden’s time in office.  It has been a mixed year with successes and setbacks with the setbacks appearing to outweigh the successes.  While his nearly $2T stimulus package (Rescue Plan) has brought relief to many middle class and poor Americans it has fueled

Martin Luther King, Jr., the great 20th century civil rights leader, asserted in his 1963 book, Strength to Love, “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige,