AIOU to provide educational facilities to prisoners in jails

Islamabad: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Shahid Siddiqui along with Wafaqi Mohtasib Additional Secretary S M Tahir visited Central Jail Rawalpindi to explore the possibility of further enhancing educational facilities for prisoners.
Dr. Shahid Siddiqui during his meeting with Senior Superintendent Jail Mushtaq Ahmed Awan assured that the AIOU would soon launch a comprehensive educational plan for the prisoners so that they could have a productive and respectable life after completing their imprisonment.
The university will motivate the prisoners towards education through a massive awareness campaign at nation-wide level. The AIOU is only public-sector university in the country which has been providing free education to prisoners for the last many years. The current number of enrolled jailed students is over 300. “We wish to enhance this number through motivation campaign and better educational facilities,” Dr. Siddiqui said.
While underlining importance of reformation of convicted persons through education, he assured that the AIOU would continue to provide them examination facility within the jail’s premises, besides arranging academic workshops and tutorial meetings.
Special arrangement will be made to provide prospectus and admission forms to the prisoners in respective jails. Besides normal education from middle to higher level, skilled based short-term training courses will also be arranged. Female prisoners will be offered vocational education for their empowerment.