Prisoners to get vocational training

Islamabad: On the request of prisoners from Haripur Jail, Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has decided to set up tailoring centres in the jails for the enrolled prisoners, so that they get the skill-based education free of cost.

Vice Chancellor (AIOU) Prof. Dr. Shahid Siddiqui received a request from the prisoners of Haripur Jail, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that they want to learn tailoring skills. The university agreed to provide sewing machines and other stitching equipment in jail. Currently there are 161 prisoners enrolled for this skill-based education.

The university will also depute instructors for this purpose, said Dr. Zahid Majeed who has been appointed as a focal person to undertake the necessary arrangements. A process is also being undertaken to prepare an academic course for providing tailoring education. The trained prisoners will be awarded certificate of tailor master.

The vice chancellor said that the jails should work as correction centres, so that prisoners should be able to live a respectable life after completing their detention period. Currently, there are over 1,000 enrolled prisoners in different jails of the country.

The university has improved its existing facilities in jails throughout the country providing free education to prisoners, as a part of its endeavour taking care of marginalized sections of the society. The free education is available to prisoners from Matric to BA-level.

The process of taking admissions has been simplified. Prospectus and others allied material were sent to Jail authorities free of cost, enabling the prisoners to join the University for carrying out their future education.

In the efforts of increasing enrolment rate among inmates in wake of the University’s motivation campaign, Dr Shahid Siddiqui has visited jails in Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Rawalpindi in recent years and held discussion with jails' authorities on the procedural issues.