Inmates get scholarships to pursue associate degrees online
Published:Tuesday | January 7, 2020 | 9:33 AM
Four inmates and one correctional officer have been selected as the first recipients to benefit from full scholarships valued at $300,000 each per year to pursue associate degrees with the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC).
The new students will pursue the Associate of Science Degree in Business Administration online at the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre as a pilot project beginning in the spring semester of 2020.
The programme will last for up to two years.
The initiative, which aims at boosting the educational capabilities of the participants, is being facilitated through a memorandum of understanding among the Ministry of National Security through the Department of Correctional Services, Stand Up For Jamaica, a non-governmental organisation and the UCC.
Speaking at the signing ceremony at the UCC on Monday, Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security Rudyard Spencer said the programme seeks to enhance the rehabilitation process and facilitate the successful development of inmates and Correctional Officers.
“Today’s signing shows that we understand the limitations and hear the cries of the offenders who face difficulties qualifying for employment opportunities because of educational limitations. Therefore, we are increasing the marketability of inmates and officers by providing sustainable scholarships and grants through worthwhile partnerships,” Spencer said.
For her part, Executive Vice President, Academic Affairs at UCC Professor Bernadette Warner said the vision is to build the scholarship programme to include more eligible inmates and other correctional facilities in due course.
She said orientation begins on January 8 while classes should commence on Sunday, January 11.
Warner said the Department of Correctional Services will provide the students with an appropriately equipped lab, books, material, and student support services in collaboration with Stand Up For Jamaica.
“We will meet the cost of non-tuition fees, apart from each student’s application and miscellaneous fees, which will also be addressed by the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean,” she informed.
Meanwhile, Director, Stand Up For Jamaica André Schwab said the initiative will provide inmates with the tools they need to become productive citizens and will assist in reducing recidivism.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dianne McIntosh, said education is a critical component in rehabilitating inmates, noting that more than 800 prisoners are enrolled in educational programmes, both academic and vocational, across the nation’s five adult correctional centres.
- JIS News
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