Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], March 29 (HBTV): As part of ongoing efforts to support rehabilitation and skill development, prisoners in Raipur Central Jail are opting for education to transform their lives, said Jail Superintendent Amit Shandilya.

Numerous courses are being offered in the jail to educate inmates, making Raipur Central Jail one of the leading correctional facilities in educational initiatives after Tihar Jail, he added.

‘Education is a tool that can shape the life of an individual, and keeping this in mind, the Raipur Central Jail administration is making extensive efforts to link prisoners with education,’ Shandilya said.

The superintendent informed that examinations for undergraduate and postgraduate courses are currently underway in the jail.

Jail Teacher Sashank Diwan stated that 291 prisoners have enrolled in classes ranging from the first standard to postgraduate programmes for the 2024-25 academic session.

Diwan further informed that around 72 prisoners are studying in primary and middle classes, while 68 are appearing for examinations under Chhattisgarh Open High School and Higher Secondary School. Over 100 prisoners are studying BA and MA, and 68 are pursuing various Sanskrit subjects.

Hundreds of prisoners are also undertaking different courses offered by Indira Gandhi National Open University, he said.

The Raipur Central Jail library houses 11,663 books related to different academic courses, Diwan added.

‘To ensure that prisoners do not face any difficulty in examinations, institutions including Chhattisgarh State Open School, NIOS, Chhattisgarh Sanskrit Vidyamandalam, Pt Ravishankar Shukla University, and IGNOU have affiliated with the jail, designating it as a permanent examination centre,’ he said.

(ANI)