Jail inmates seek better life through education

NEW DELHI: Freshers at Delhi University are not the only ones eager for college life. Scores of inmates at Tihar jail are looking forward to joining study programmes as well. Those willing to enroll for courses ranging from certificate to masters programmes are a growing tribe. Till Wednesday, 279 had completed the admission procedure at the jail's study centre.
Jail authorities say the enrolled candidates, mostly in their 20s or 30s, are choosing from a variety of professional courses, from BPO finance and accounting to NGO management and human rights.Seven have enrolled for a course in cyber law.
Raju Kumar, who was jailed in 2005 for murder, has taken up MCom from Ignou and hopes to work as an accountant after release. "I completed secondary and senior secondary school from The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and am pursuing MCom from Ignou. I'll be one of the few people from my place who are educated," he said.
Some have been supplementing their BA pass course with additional certificates. Sandeep Kumar Singh, who was jailed in 2007 for kidnapping and abduction, was assigned to promote educational activities among other inmates. "I pursued masters in tourism management and then added on certificates like cyber laws, communication and business skills. I am going to enroll for a few more so that these help me get a good job after I am out of jail," he said.

Jail inmates can enroll in Ignou courses for free at the Tihar Study Centre. "They are provided the complete course material free of cost for the selected programme. The coordinator also works with the university to help organize classes for students at the study centre. This helps the inmate prepare for qualifying exams," said Alok Verma, director general prisons.
"At present, 20 courses from different streams, including MBA, are offered to the inmates. Three inmates are pursuing MBA through this centre and 10, including 4 women, have applied for the MBA entrance examination," Verma added.
Jail authorities said educating the inmates will also help in maintaining law and order in the jail. Most of the people who have indulged in mischief at jail have never been part of any educational activity. "We have also commissioned an e-library for the inmates who are tech-savvy. This has been done keeping in mind the fact that most of the books are available or released on the net these days. A few projects are in the pipeline which, we believe, will boost reformation and rehabilitation of the inmates," said Mukesh Kumar, DIG (prisons).