A Central Jail in Bhopal has educated around 6,900 inmates in last one year under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (education for all) campaign of the Indian government. Besides, 300 prisoners lodged in the jail were allowed to take the undergraduate exam, 57 took postgraduate exam, and 463 took primary education exam, an official statement said.
Furthermore, 92 prisoners took secondary education exam and 243 prisoners took higher secondary education exam. As many as 158 women prisoners also took various exams and 10 women became proficient in computer education.
“In order to make the inmates literate and to raise their level of education, they are being taught and being given diploma degrees. It is being done so that when the prisoners get released from jail, they can earn a living and become educated,” Rakesh Bhangre, superintendent, Bhopal Central Jail, said.
Various types of courses are being taught to the prisoners from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in the Central Jail Bhopal. The courses which are being conducted in jail include Bachelors degree programmes, Certificate in Rural Development, Certificate in Food and Nutrition, Certificate in HIV and Family Education, MA and MBA.
“There are 6,900 prisoners who have obtained diploma degrees by pursuing different courses in the last one year. Some women are also there who have taken a diploma in computer courses. We are also identifying and trying to make such prisoners literate, who do not know how to read and write at all. They are being taught regularly during morning and evening in the jail,” Bhangre said, adding that those prisoners, who are less educated, are being taught to pass the class 10th and class 12th exams.
He added, “We believe that our campaign will enable us to educate all the prisoners so that they can become good citizens. Besides, we will try to ensure that when the inmates get released from here, they will have the means of employment. If not then definitely we will also try to provide employment opportunities to such prisoners in other institutions and organisations.”
Similarly, the prisoners who are in the open jail also face the same problem. We also provide employment opportunities to them through local institutions and organisations. At present some prisoners are also taking care of their families, he added.
With inputs from ANI