Punjab transforming lives of prisoners through education : Harjot Singh Bains
*Chandigarh, August 18:*
In order to inculcate the habit of learning and education among jail inmates to transform their lives to bring them back in mainstream, the Punjab has been providing opportunities to prisoners for utilizing their time in prison in a productive manner through education, informed Harjot Singh Bains, Jails Minister, Punjab, here today.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led state government, said Mr. Bains, committed for making Punjab crime-free, under these extensive efforts many schemes including creating an educational atmosphere in prisons, have been initiated in prisons.
“For this purpose, library facility has been expanded in prisons. The state government also considering that education will be tied to good conduct/remission to provide benefit to those who undergo education in jails”, said the Jails Minister, while adding that the government is planning to construct 2 to 3 class rooms of capacity of 50 students in each jail to be established in the state and if more rooms are needed in the future, its place will be fixed in advance besides constructing classrooms in existing jails.
S. Bains informed that currently, the jail inmates have been categorized as ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ on the basis of their educational qualification. Total 271 prisoners of category-A are quite illiterate, who are being taught to read and write under SCERT program of Punjab Government, while category-B inmates, eligible and interested to appear in 10th/12th class Board examination, are enrolled with National Institute of Open School and currently 75 inmates have been enrolled in this category. Similarly, category-C comprises of 49 those inmates, who have done their 12th class are motivated to undergo Graduation courses in various disciplines offered by Jagat Guru Nanak State Open University, Patiala. The inmates are also given the opportunity to enroll in other reputed universities such as IGNOU Delhi for graduating in disciplines of their choice.
