The purpose of this study was to assess the characteristics of music education in Jamaican public schools and to investigate possible inequalities in access to music education programs based on school level, school locale, and school enrollment. A questionnaire, gathering information on a broad range of educational factors related to the music programs and music teachers was sent to the 977 public schools in the country. Of the 320 schools that replied, 105 offered music programs. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 25 selected music teachers from schools with music programs. Schools were classified as elementary or secondary, rural or urban, and small or large. Music programs existed in approximately a third of public schools in Jamaica, mainly in secondary, urban, and large schools. Teachers in these groups were predominantly male and music specialists, while teachers in elementary, rural, and small schools were mainly classroom teachers, female, and had been teaching for significantly longer than their counterparts. Approximately 10% of teachers providing music instruction reported not having any formal training in music. Secondary, urban, and large schools had more choral programs and entered a higher number of pieces in competitions than their counterparts. Music examinations of the Caribbean Examination Council were done in only a few secondary schools and most students were successful. Respondents generally considered resources and facilities for music programs inadequate, and viewed colleagues, administration and parents as being supportive of music programs, but considered the national government to be unsupportive. Most teachers had not encountered students with disabilities in their music classes. This study is timely within the context of current initiatives in education in the country such as the Reform of Secondary Education program and the report by the Task Force on Educational Reform in Education. It is hoped that deficiencies will be addressed to continue the long tradition of a vibrant music culture in Jamaica, and to ensure access to high quality music programs for every child. / text

No description available.

The account which is presented in this work constitutes, to the best of my knowledge, the first really comprehensive and reasoned history of trade union development in Jamaica. It is hoped, however, that the patient reader will find it much more than a history. Comparative studies suggest that there are certain characteristics (described in Chapter I) which are shared by nascent unionism in developing countries which enjoy at least a modicum of political democracy, notwithstanding the vast differences in their cultural, economic and political backgrounds. The unity amidst the sea of diversity centres around the leadership, ideology, politics and structure of the emergent trade unions. / fr

This paper examines the impact of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), an agreement under the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Jamaica. In its analysis, it considers both the island's existing and former foreign trade policy, as well as the progressive trade liberalization being undertaken within the Caribbean Single Market and Economy under CARICOM and its regionally devised policy initiatives. / Having followed a fairly liberal path in its trade relations since 1991, the provisions in domestic law which accommodate or hinder liberalization are referred to. Negotiation strategies for future rounds of the GATS are another important aspect of the thesis. This closely follows the schedule of commitments made under the GATS, taking into account recent instances of autonomous liberalization, including those taken in the telecommunications industry. Finally, a critical look is taken at the dispute resolution process of the WTO to determine the extent to which the trading interests of a developing microstate such as Jamaica are protected by this system.

Based on a case study of the export informatic$ sp1$ services industry, this dissertation examines the prospects for industrial development in Jamaica in the twenty first century. It contends that the island's current strategy of neo-liberal industrial restructuring will not bring about sustained development because it embodies macro-economic reforms that are incompatible with local, cultural and structural realities. Under structural adjustment, Jamaica has embarked upon policies that have been short-term in vision, un-coordinated and subject to the demands of local and global hegemonic groups. These policies have limited the expansion of this export sector and has encouraged forms of work organisation that are deeply exploitative of labour. In the case of the informatics sector, the pressure to satisfy IMF and World Bank macro-economic restructuring requirements, together with, inadequate finance and marketing support, and technical labour, has limited the potential of the sector to become a growth catalyst. Instead of becoming an industry that provides foreign exchange earnings, jobs and technical skills, informatics in Jamaica remains low in value added content, and reliant on sweated, female, low cost labour. The current organisation of work is particularly exploitative of women and their households who provide them with support. The strain that workers and their households sustain creates a vicious cycle, because as workers find ways to resist their employers demands, the industry loses its ability to compete globally. This dissertation concludes that the future of the industry will depend on the extent to which the industry is able to: provide local and foreign firms with equal opportunities to compete in global markets; develop higher value-added services and provide workers with better opportunities for personal and occupational development. I argue that improving the skills and knowledge base of the industry's labour force represents a first step in thi

No description available.

The objective of this thesis is to examine the patterns of residence and inheritance of rural Rastafarians of Jamaica. A historical materialist perspective is used to investigate the development of the matrifocal rural peasantry and the Rastafari movement, focusing on major economic changes which laid the foundation for the present cultural patterns. Ethnographic fieldwork was carried out from January to June 1995, in which a participantobservation methodology was used to gather data concerning patterns of residence and inheritance of 22 Rastafarians. The findings demonstrated that rural Rastas have difficulty practicing their ideal patrilineal patterns due to economic and material conditions; poverty and limited access to land impose limitations on patterns of residence and inheritance. Following a period of isolation after converting to the movement, Rastas generally must return to their mother's family to gain access to land and gardens or continue to squat in the mountains on government or private land. / Department of Anthropology

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (January 13, 2010) Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-48)

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 294-308).