Jullia Fischer (left), The Gleaner's Silver Pen awardee for the month of July, accepts her prize from Byron Buckley, Gleaner associate editor, at the company's offices on North Street in Kingston, yesterday - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

The Gleaner's Silver Pen awardee for the month of July, Jullia Fischer, believes high-quality education cannot be free.

Ms. Fischer, who collected her prize yesterday, said while there was a clamour for free education, there were other factors that needed to be considered.

"The teachers need to be better paid," she said. "The free education is just a Band-aid fix. The real problem, as it relates to education, is more about the quality of teaching that is being offered."

She argued that the country should at this time be striving to offer equal access to high-quality education across the board. She asserted that this cannot be attained through free education.

"The only way [top] quality education can be free for the majority of Jamaicans is if the people of Jamaica are willing to bear all the associated costs involved in making this worthwhile venture possible," she wrote in her letter.

This means, she said, include more schools, resulting in reduced class sizes, substantial remuneration for overworked teachers, and improved infrastructure.

Get more involved

Ms. Fischer also believes that, if parents helped to foot the education bill for their children, they would get more involved and ensure that they did well.

"Speaking from experience, she said her son did well at the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) and got to attend the school of his first choice. She attributes his success to her personal involvement.

Hoping one day to become a teacher, Ms. Fischer has her eyes set on starting a homework programme for underprivileged boys doing the GSAT programme. She is inviting anyone who wants to assist to donate desks and chairs.