Prison appeals for education support
Nkhata Bay Prison authorities have appealed to stakeholders to support the institution in furthering prisoners’ education as a means of reforming convicts.
For the past years the prison has been running a school in two rooms within its premises, offering learners secondary level education from Form One to Form Four.
A Form One inmate Emmanuel Thawi said the initiative has offered him a second chance to become a productive citizen when he is released.
“I love the fact that I will not start from where I stopped and will find something productive to do once I come out,” he said.
Nkhata Bay Prison Secondary School head teacher, who is also an inmate, Andrew Kaluwa, appealed for teaching and learning materials to make learning effective at the prison.
“As a teacher, I am supposed to have teachers’ guides,” he said.
Nkhata Bay Prison spokesperson MacDonald Migolo said despite the inmates’ interest in education, the prison lacks resources to sustain the initiative.
“We understand the importance of the education programme we are running, but I can say it is on informal basis as we don’t have adequate infrastructure, teaching and learning materials,” he said.
Migolo said despite the challenges, the prison service will continue to provide rehabilitation packages to allow convicts re-integrate into society when released.
