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JAMAICA GAMBLING

As with other national issues, Jamaica gambling seems to have triggered opposing parties to express their views on the possible effects of gambling in the country. There has been too much fuss about the introduction of casino gambling. Some residents believe that this form of Jamaica gambling will only pave the way for the increase in crime and violence on the island. Well, admittedly, gambling has always been associated with sex, drugs, and crime. But hasn’t marijuana been legalized in Jamaica already?

Someone from the National Council on Education has expressed his sentiments regarding casino gambling. He said that this form of Jamaica gambling can actually be the source of the $52 billion annual fund needed to improve the education system of the country. He further pointed out the possible disadvantages are so few compared to the benefits that the country can game from it. Currently, the island is still battling with poverty and unemployment possibly because of the illiteracy rate and quality of education. Another alternative that can possibly win the hearts of many residents is the lottery or lotto. It may be a subtler form of Jamaica gambling, but isn’t it gambling just the same?

It is quite ironic to be waving banners of protest against this latest Jamaica gambling method, and yet putting the thumbs-up sign on smoking weed. But of course, weed, known locally as “ganja”, is being strongly believed by the locals to be a medicinal herb. Case closed.

Jamaica gambling is not restricted to the confines of the casinos. Even if Jamaica is home to ten casinos, it has other forms of gambling as well. The island offers horse race betting. This form of Jamaica gambling is done at the horse tracks in Saint Catherine at Caymanas Park in the island’s capital, Kingston. This horse race track which started operating in 1959 may be the island’s only horse race track existing today, however, history has it that this Jamaica gambling dates as far back as the early 19th century. Several small tracks which could be seen dotting the island supports this story.

The 70’s and the 80’s were not good years for the horse race betting in the country. But after undergoing some changes, the Caymanas Park has become very famous among locals and even to tourists as well. What drove it to succeed is the fact that it does not prohibit off-track betting anywhere in Jamaica.

Most tourists of the tropical islands do not just look for the surf and sand that these places all promise to have. Most of them long for the glamour and excitement that Las Vegas is so famous for. Jamaica boasts that it can provide the best of both worlds. Jamaica gambling will definitely prove that the island is not only about surf and sand.

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Even if smoking weed is as legal as having dreadlocks, it does not mean that the quality of education in Jamaica is not a primary concern of its government.

Admittedly, education in Jamaica was not a common thing in the past. The education system was not something that Jamaicans know of until the 70’s. Most Christian churches are the first ones who have made attempts to bring improve its existence. There was scarcity of schools especially those that cater to those beyond the primary level. There were also curriculum that was for the elite and this has deepened the class divisions in the society. The governments’ primary schools and the private secondary schools have served as the dual system of education in Jamaica. This fact has prevented the majority of the population to achieve an education beyond literacy. Thus around 1943, less than 1% of blacks and about 9% of the other races in Jamaica were able to attend secondary school.

In 1953, education in Jamaica was given more attention due to the establishment of the Ministry of Education. The government formulated education policies and emphasized the educational priorities. With the government’s objective of providing sufficient number of primary schools and junior secondary schools, it seemed that education in Jamaica was at its turning point. However, even until the 70’s, there is still very little chance for students to continue schooling after their primary level.

Education in Jamaica underwent major changes in 1972. There was a greater opportunity during the implementation of the universally free secondary education in Jamaica. Even if the inadequate funding may have caused the quality of education in Jamaica to go down, it still gave people access to secondary schools, and the poor locals who cannot afford to go the tuition have been given the chance to attend school.

The 80’s brought in a multifaceted type of system of education in Jamaica. And even if locals are not made to pay tuition in public schools, some families do not send their kids to these schools because they cannot provide for the costs of the books, uniforms, food, and transportation for their children. Jamaica also has its share of colleges and universities, but most of these cater to a small number of Jamaican students.

Education in Jamaica is an ongoing construction site. The Jamaican Movement for the Advancement of Literacy (JAMAL) has been striving hard to wipe out illiteracy since the 70’s. Its efforts were proven to have been rewarded by the fact that more than a 100,000 students have signed up in its classes all over the island in the recent years. The success of this organization is through the combined efforts of professionals and volunteers, which helped attained 75.4% literacy in Jamaica.

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