Prison inmates to work toward CXCs

Ramon George wants to encourage his fellow inmates to take initiative.

Speaking at a launch ceremony on Monday afternoon, the seven-year inmate at Her Majesty’s Prison called on others to join him in the facility’s new educational and vocational programme, which offers classes in language arts, maths, social studies, science and multiple trades.

“What we’ve been through influences your future, yes,” Mr. George told a crowd of legislators, public officers, prison guards and inmates. “But you still have to take the initiative to make that future better.”

Nearly 40 inmates at HMP in Balsam Ghut took an assessment that evaluated their writing and computational skills, according to Education and Culture Minister Myron Walwyn. The test allows the prison education staff to tailor the programme to each inmate’s current educational level, he added.

While the newly launched programme will prepare inmates to take Caribbean Examinations Council tests, the prison also plans to use its Digicel-sponsored internet service to provide access to tertiary education opportunities online, according to HMP Superintendent David Foot.

Of about 40 inmates who took the screening assessment, 26 are enrolled in the new academic classes, Mr. Walwyn (R-at large) said.

See the Feb. 16, 2017 edition for full coverage.

{fcomment}