Quality public education is necessary to address the problems of inequality and poverty, SA Reserve Bank Governor Gill Marcus said on Tuesday.

"There can be no investment more important than to invest in the education of young people," she said in a speech prepared for delivery in Johannesburg.

"Public education of the highest standard for all children is critical for democracy to flourish, and was integral to the liberation struggle, as lack of education is the greatest exclusion there can be."

Marcus was speaking at a Ruth First Memorial Trust evening at the Jeppe High School for Girls.

She praised the trust and the school for setting an example of how communities could provide education for all, rather than just a privileged few.

"... Investment in the education of young women makes a real difference to the individual, the family and society, as educating the girl child is a sure way to break the cycle of poverty and the skills shortage that is spoken about so often," Marcus said.

She paid homage to anti-apartheid activist First for her commitment and courage in standing "not only for what is right, but also to stand against what is wrong".

"Ruth was a committed communist; she was not a revolutionary who simply used ideology to win an argument.

"She looked at the facts; she analysed the evidence and came to conclusions that could be defended by the data and analysis, even when

such conclusions were uncomfortable for some, especially those in leadership positions or high office."