Female prisoners excel in NVTI exams

Twelve female prisoners of the Nsawam Female Prison in the Eastern Region obtained a 98% pass rate in the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) Grade (1) examination organised in May/June 2014.

The inmates sat for the exams at the Christian Heritage Secondary/Technical School at Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region.

Their subjects are Cookery, Hairdressing, Textile Decorating, and Information Communication Technology (ICT).

In an interview with the Director of Inmates’ Education, Chief Superintendent of Prisons (CSP) Peter Afari-Mintah, he noted that the inmates received a minimum of two years’ proficiency training in various skills subjects in the prison yard as part of Prisons Inmate Education Programme to qualify for the exams.

He explained that those who are not due for discharge or release from the prison would be trained further to sit for the Grade (2) exams in the near future, who would help the prisons industry with the knowledge acquired to generate income to support budgetary allocations from the government.

“For those who will be due for release from the prison, the Director of Education intimated that the certificate so acquired will enable them reintegrate properly into society, as they could either choose to set up their own businesses or pursue the grade (2) or an intermediate programme at any of the polytechnics in the country,” he said.

Mr Afari Mintah also revealed that the service has the human resource capacity to handle the Inmates’ Education Programme, saying about 40 inmates were being prepared to sit for the NVTI, BECE and WASSCE examinations come 2015.

He, however, identified funding as the major setback, and said, “We need collaboration from non-governmental organizations, philanthropists and well-wishers who have an interest in education to come to the aid of the service, as education is expensive and government alone cannot afford it.”

The Inmates’ Education Programme of the Prisons Service was started in the year 2010, and has churned out a lot of JHS and SHS graduates, and equipped quite a number of prisoners with employable skills.