TAXILA: “I would sit on a footpath next to my father and watch children going to school every day. They wore crisp uniforms and wore nice school bags. I wished to accompany them but could not,” said Abdul Jabbar, a 28 years old prisoner, who completed a three-month basic education course at the Adult Literacy Centre (ALC) in Attock jail.

Abdul Jabbar, like any other prisoner, had dreams for his future, but after the death of his father, he was left to his own devices. Due to poverty and a lack of proper patronage, he fell prey to criminals and ended up behind bars.

To impart education to such inmates, the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) established adult literary centres for “illiterate prisoners” in 89 jails across the country. The centre at the Attock jail was established in collaboration with Ghazi Barotha Taraqiati Idara (GBTI) in January this year.

The dedication of the jail officials, coupled with the proactive engagement of the NCHD resulted in the identification of 58 illiterate prisoners eager to embark on their educational journey. However, after a rigorous baseline assessment, 34 inmates were identified for the education programme. “Each step of the process was meticulously executed, with a keen focus on ensuring the inclusivity and efficacy of the programme.”

34 prisoners complete three-month programme to become ‘productive’ members of society

NCHD Deputy Director Shahzad Hashmi said that these literacy centres aimed to provide educational opportunities to the inmates so that they could become “productive” members of society.

Sharing details about the process, he said teachers for the Adult Literacy Center (ALC) were picked from among the prisoners in a process carried out by the authorities diligently.

According to the NCHD, the initiative helped 34 inmates between 27-45 years of age “break the shackles of ignorance and enable themselves to contribute meaningfully to their respective families upon their release”.

Mr Hashmi said that the essence of this initiative was situated in the “profound belief that education is the key to societal transformation”.

Teachers in these centres have been appointed from among the prisoners, having higher qualifications, after proper training by the NCHD, GBTI Senior Program Officer Farzana Tahir said.

She added that two-hour sessions over three months had been conducted for the prisoners and after the completion of the course, the evaluation was carried out.

Shahid Riaz, a prisoner in the district jail who teaches the students under this programme, said that the prisoners were eager to become educated but did not have the opportunity. He appreciated the government for its efforts and said there were a large number of people in the prison, who were keen to acquire knowledge.

27-year-old Bilal Basheer, another prisoner, said it was a “golden opportunity” for the prisoners to learn new things. “First we were unaware of the value of education, but now we realise that education is like vision to the eyes,” he added.

According to Deputy Superintendent Jail Afzaal Ahmed Warriach, the prison administration extended cooperation to the literacy centre to bring positive changes to the lives of prisoners. “By providing both educational opportunities and financial aid, this programme sets a precedent for holistic rehabilitation and empowerment within the prison system,” the jail official claimed.

He said such literacy centres played a pivotal role in the “character building” of the prisoners to make them “productive members” of society after their release.

Deputy Commissioner Rao Atif Raza told Dawn that the purpose of providing basic education to “illiterate prisoners” was to turn them into better citizens.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2024