First batch of prison inmates to write WASSCE next year
Story: Jasmine Arku
THE first batch of prison inmates in the Nsawam and Kumasi Central prisons will sit for the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2011.
The inmates will write the examination in Business and General Arts, comprising English Language, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Social Studies, Geography, Economics, Business Management, Accounting and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
The Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling Programme (CENDLOS), in partnership with the Ghana Prisons Service, is providing the opportunity for formal education for inmates in the country’s prisons.
This was made known at a durbar with prison officers in Accra to discuss issues facing the service and how they can be tackled.
The acting Director of the Prisons Service, DGP Michael Kofi Bansah, said the first batch of 12 inmates from the Nsawam Prison sat for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and passed with aggregates ranging from 11 to 25, adding that 18 inmates from the Senior Correctional Centre also wrote and passed the BECE this year.
He said several initiatives were being taken to boost the rehabilitation and reformation of inmates, among which were the employment of clinical psychologists and professional counsellors and the training of 12 psychologists and counsellors in therapeutic treatment programmes.
DGP Bansah said the service had received modern vocational training equipment from the government through the Paramount Logistics Corporation of South Africa for tailoring, carpentry, auto repairs, ceramics and other vocational and technical programmes, adding that micro loans would be provided for inmates to start their own businesses when they were released from prison.
He said efforts were being made to promote computer literacy among the inmates and staff through collaboration with the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication Project (GIFEC).
He expressed the hope that 30 new computers would be inaugurated at the Prison Officers Training School before the end of the year.
DGP Bansah acknowledged the issue of overcrowding facing all correctional and prison services in the country, adding that efforts were being made to mitigate the problem.
He said the service, in collaboration with other criminal justice agencies, was working towards the success of the Justice for all Programme that would ensure that a substantial number of remanded cases which formed about 29 per cent of the total inmate population were disposed of at the end of the year.
He added that the construction of a new prison at Ankaful was underway to help decongest Nsawam and the other prisons by providing over 2,000 prisoners with dormitories.
He also appealed for alternative sanctions, such as community service and non-custodial sentences, to be introduced into the criminal system to help decongest the prisons.
DGP Bansah expressed worry over the unsuitable prison structures which had led to recent jailbreaks in the country.
He said the government was taking steps to provide relevant security gadgets to be used in the country, adding that training programmes in intelligence gathering to nip escape plans of prisoners in the bud were underway and that over 1,500 people would be recruited next year to augment the low staff strength
DGP Bansah touched on the poor conditions of service among prison officers and acknowledged the efforts of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission as a first step towards improving the financial standing of officers.
He expressed the hope that the new Prisons Service Act, which was currently before Parliament, when approved, would assist in boosting the morale of officers.
He expressed concern over the deplorable housing conditions in the service and hoped that the STX deal would provide over 4,000 housing units for staff when completed.
Mr Bansah advised prison officers to approach their work with commitment and professionalism to ensure that taxpayers’ money was well utilised and accounted for.
THE first batch of prison inmates in the Nsawam and Kumasi Central prisons will sit for the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2011.
The inmates will write the examination in Business and General Arts, comprising English Language, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Social Studies, Geography, Economics, Business Management, Accounting and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
The Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling Programme (CENDLOS), in partnership with the Ghana Prisons Service, is providing the opportunity for formal education for inmates in the country’s prisons.
This was made known at a durbar with prison officers in Accra to discuss issues facing the service and how they can be tackled.
The acting Director of the Prisons Service, DGP Michael Kofi Bansah, said the first batch of 12 inmates from the Nsawam Prison sat for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and passed with aggregates ranging from 11 to 25, adding that 18 inmates from the Senior Correctional Centre also wrote and passed the BECE this year.
He said several initiatives were being taken to boost the rehabilitation and reformation of inmates, among which were the employment of clinical psychologists and professional counsellors and the training of 12 psychologists and counsellors in therapeutic treatment programmes.
DGP Bansah said the service had received modern vocational training equipment from the government through the Paramount Logistics Corporation of South Africa for tailoring, carpentry, auto repairs, ceramics and other vocational and technical programmes, adding that micro loans would be provided for inmates to start their own businesses when they were released from prison.
He said efforts were being made to promote computer literacy among the inmates and staff through collaboration with the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication Project (GIFEC).
He expressed the hope that 30 new computers would be inaugurated at the Prison Officers Training School before the end of the year.
DGP Bansah acknowledged the issue of overcrowding facing all correctional and prison services in the country, adding that efforts were being made to mitigate the problem.
He said the service, in collaboration with other criminal justice agencies, was working towards the success of the Justice for all Programme that would ensure that a substantial number of remanded cases which formed about 29 per cent of the total inmate population were disposed of at the end of the year.
He added that the construction of a new prison at Ankaful was underway to help decongest Nsawam and the other prisons by providing over 2,000 prisoners with dormitories.
He also appealed for alternative sanctions, such as community service and non-custodial sentences, to be introduced into the criminal system to help decongest the prisons.
DGP Bansah expressed worry over the unsuitable prison structures which had led to recent jailbreaks in the country.
He said the government was taking steps to provide relevant security gadgets to be used in the country, adding that training programmes in intelligence gathering to nip escape plans of prisoners in the bud were underway and that over 1,500 people would be recruited next year to augment the low staff strength
DGP Bansah touched on the poor conditions of service among prison officers and acknowledged the efforts of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission as a first step towards improving the financial standing of officers.
He expressed the hope that the new Prisons Service Act, which was currently before Parliament, when approved, would assist in boosting the morale of officers.
He expressed concern over the deplorable housing conditions in the service and hoped that the STX deal would provide over 4,000 housing units for staff when completed.
Mr Bansah advised prison officers to approach their work with commitment and professionalism to ensure that taxpayers’ money was well utilised and accounted for.
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