Basic edu scheme for prisoners on cards

The School Education Department has decided to introduce a special literacy programme for inmates as most of the unschooled prisoners were left out of the existing educationprogramme.

A senior official from the Directorate of School Education said, the state government has issued an order to launch special literacy programme for the prisoners at a cost of Rs 14.60 lakh. “We have conducted a detailed survey in all the prisons and identified a total of 757 illiterate inmates both convicted and remanded prisoners,” he said.

Stating that teachers, who conduct training classes for the prisoners, would be appointed to provide basic education to identified inmates, he said, “In addition, literate prisoners will also be roped in to teach other inmates.”

The official said that the Directorate of Non-formal and Adult Education would be entrusted in organising training classes to inmates in batch wise. “The duration of training will be in accordance with the jail term of the prisoners,” he said adding that the course materials are being prepared in such a way that the inmates would be able to learn in short period of time.

Pointing out that the special literacy programme would be a regular affair, the official said that the government was also planning to introduce classes for school dropout prisoners.

The official said, in 2019, as many as 78 prisoners appeared for higher secondary Class 11 board examination and similarly 45 inmates also appeared for Class 12 board exam in Puzhal Central Prison. “A total of 152 prisoners appeared for SSLC board examination in Palayamkottai, Tiruchy, Coimbatore and Puzhal Central prisons,” he added.

At present examination centres were established to appear for Class 10, Class 11 and Class 12 board exams in the premises of the prisons in order to promote the educational pursuit among the inmates in jails.