Leroy Fearon | Jamaica cannot build a first-class society with second-class schools

Every year, Jamaica renews its promise of progress. We speak about economic growth, celebrate infrastructure, discuss investment, tourism, technology and the possibilities of a more prosperous nation.

Political leaders deliver speeches about development, and citizens look forward to a future in which hard work will finally translate into a better quality of life.

But beneath the language of national advancement lies a question we cannot continue to avoid: What kind of Jamaica are we building if the quality of a child's education is still heavily influenced by where that child lives, the school he or she attends and the resources available to that institution?