Prisons want inmates to sit national exams

Inmates studying from prison facilities countrywide will not sit the forthcoming national examinations due to lack of accreditation from the Rwanda Education Board. The examinations are due to start from November 14 to 23.The deputy commissioner for the Rwanda Correctional Centre, Mary Gahonzire, said that they had sought approval of their curriculum from the Ministry of Education to pave way for examination centres within prisons two years ago to no avail, Gahonzire said that RCS sought to integrate its curriculum with that of the Work force Development Authority (WDA) to add value to their qualifications.“We are conducting both vocational and formal education. We submitted our curriculum to the Education ministry in 2010 which would pave way for application for examination centres in prisons but we have since received no reply. Every prison has an education programme,” Gahonzire pointed out.Prisoners cannot seat for exams outside the correctional facilities.A total of 16 candidates were scheduled to sit for primary six examinations at Muhanga Prison in the Southern Province.When reached for comment, the Deputy Director General of the Rwanda Education Board, Emmanuel Muvunyi, said he was unaware of RCS’s request for approval of their curriculum. “As far as we are concerned at Rwanda Education Board (REB), we have not seen such a request from prisons. Get back to them and let me know who they gave the application letter to,” Muvunyi said.REB handles registration of all examination centres and curriculum development.Some of the vocational courses taught at the prisons include carpentry, weaving, bricklaying, concrete practice, ICT, theology and languages among others. “These learning opportunities are important in rehabilitating inmates. Some of these were involved in crime because they were poor, ignorant, idle, and disappointed. By the time they leave this place, some are leaders of groups and fellowships, others earn money and meet family needs when they are here,” explained Janet Bugingo, the Correction and Social Affairs Officer at RCS.“All these give them a hope and cause to live well in society. They are now empowering communities like coaching private candidates and passing on ICT and other vocational skills. This keeps them in touch with normal life outside prison so that on release, they are able to fit in society easily,” she added.She noted that the production department at RCS tutors teaches private candidates from the community. “Last Friday, 20 ICT students taught by our inmate tutors from Musanze District in the Northern Province graduated,” Bugingo observed.She pointed out that the non-inmates education programme at Musanze District has a total of 24 students pursuing ICT, 35 on after school coaching programme (primary and secondary), and 34 on adult learning. About 130 others are taking English learning, six French, and eight Swahili. Bugingo noted that all students are attended to by a total of 23 instructors. Certificates offered by the prisons department are not officially recognised.

National

Prisons want inmates to sit national exams