TAXILA: In order to bring prisoners into the mainstream and rehabilitate them through education, the district literacy department inaugurated an adult literacy and non-formal basic education centre in the district jail of Attock on Saturday.

Deputy Commissioner Ishratullah Khan Niazi inaugurated the centre in the presence of officials from the education department and jail staff.

Chief organiser of the centre and district officer literacy Memona Anjum said the literacy department had established five centres in the jail for session 2019-20 under which 125 prisoners were enrolled. She said prisoners would be taught basic English, Urdu and mathematics during the three-month course.

Teachers for the centres were appointed from within the prisoners having higher qualifications and they were given proper training by the literacy department.

She said daily two-hour session for three months would be conducted for the prisoners and after completion of course their evaluation would be carried out by the literacy and non-formal basic education department.

She said the teaching staff would be paid Rs6,000 as a stipend for their services.

She said during 2017-19, as many as 20 adult literacy and non-formal basic education centres were established in the district jail in which 550 prisoners were imparted education.

Speaking on the occasion, the deputy commissioner said the government had adopted a number of reformatory measures to enhance literacy and provide facilities to prisoners.

He urged the prisoners to get education at the centre and prove to be responsible citizens after their release from jail.

Chief executive District Education Authority Dr Javed Iqbal Awan said literacy centres were set up in order to bring the prisoners into the mainstream and rehabilitate them.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2019