Commentary

Ruthlyn James
February 8, 2026

Ruthlyn James | Jamaica’s early childhood paradox

Long before early childhood education became global jargon, Jamaica understood that learning does not begin at primary school. Community-based basic schools laid the foundation for generations of…
Matthew Samuda, minister of water, environment and climate change removes debris from a mangrove ecosystem in Parottee, St. Elizabeth, during clean-up activity marking World Wetlands Day on February 2.
February 8, 2026

Editorial | Preserving the wetlands

T he Gleaner welcomes the apparent urgency with which the Government is approaching the post-Hurricane Melissa rehabilitation of mangroves and wetlands degraded by the Category 5 storm that hit three…
February 7, 2026

Tony Deyal | Chinese in tongs

When I was growing up in Trinidad, there were many people in houses, groups, towns, and cities. In that time, there were people from various races or, as Trinis call it, “white, black and khaki.” The…
A local travels on public transportation through a gang-controlled area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, January 19, 2026.
February 7, 2026

Ronald Sanders | End of illusion in Haiti: What next?

February 7 matters in Haiti, not because it promises relief, but because it marks the end of an illusion. On that date, the mandate of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council expires. From its…
In this file photo Richie Spice is seen performing at the launch of Reggae Month.
February 6, 2026

Editorial | Promote cultural exports

Jamaica in the midst of a month-long celebration of reggae, a music developed in the island, which has become, as Olivia Grange, the entertainment and culture minister, put it, “an important force in…
February 6, 2026

Peter Espeut | Needed: investigative journalism

The public’s appetite for reliable information is often not satisfied through traditional media. If all a newspaper or radio/TV station does is carry press releases, then they become the mouthpieces…
Energy, Transport and Telecommunications Minister, Daryl Vaz.
February 6, 2026

Kristen Gyles | That pesky Procurement Act

The auditor general (AG) released a report on its real-time audit of the Hurricane Melissa Relief Initiative, specifically in relation to governance, procurement, and the receipt and distribution of…
Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Efficiency, Innovation and Digital Transformation, Ambassador, Audrey Marks, addresses the ceremony for the official launch of the implementation of the flexible work ar
February 5, 2026

Editorial | Kudos, Audrey Marks

Seven years ago, in November 2018, this newspaper recommended to the Government the value of leading by example. It had to do with a full rollout in the public sector of flexible work arrangements.…
February 5, 2026

Basil Jarrett | Flexi-work and the end of the 9-5

Two years ago, I wrote two columns pleading for us to stop treating the 9-5 workday like one of the Ten Commandments. I argued for work-from-home, four-day work weeks, and staggered hours, recognising…