Gov. Ronnie Musgrove told a group of educators Monday that Mississippi must concentrate on attaining high-tech jobs for the state to excel in the world economy.

Now there’s a no-brainer for you.

Musgrove is, of course, correct that Mississippi needs to attain high-tech jobs.

The problem, however, lies in exactly how to reach that goal.

First and foremost, as Johnny Franklin with the Public Education Forum said, improving our education system is a must.

If the next Cisco Systems or Intel wanted to open up an operation in Mississippi, statistics show the companies would be hard pressed to find enough educated employees to fill their payrolls.

Mississippians must begin thinking longterm. We must realize that simply throwing money at the educational system isn’t the panacea some folks would like us to believe.

The key to education is desire. Students must have the desire to learn. And rarely will that come entirely from the state. The best teacher in the world can’t overcome the damage done by neglecting parents.

Parents must become involved in our education system and instill a desire to learn. And, perhaps just as important, residents who aren’t parents must also become involved and show a concern for our educational system.

Spending time – and a little money – in our educational system today is truly and investment in the future of our state.

We can’t afford to wait any longer. Mississippians need to focus on the future today – before it’s too late.