30 inmates enrolled in CHED program
Thirty inmates are getting another chance at leading a productive life once they get out of prison, armed with a college degree obtained from the PGMA Ladderized Education Program.
The program, the first in the Ilocos region and possibly in the whole country, is in collaboration with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the Commission on Higher Education, the Lyceum Northwestern University (LNU) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in this city.
The inmates are enrolled in Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT).
There are 305 inmates here serving time for various offenses, but only 30 – four of them women – were chosen based on their determination to get college degrees.
Chief Inspector Florante Nisperos, BJMP warden here, told The STAR that the inmate-students attend their classes at the jail dormitory every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the lectures, and Saturday for the hands-on class.
These inmates wear their LNU School IDs with white t-shirts printed with “Step by Step Ladderized Education.”
They have three teachers from LNU as well as the warden, who teaches Physical Education and National Service Training Program subjects.
Nisperos said each inmate-student is a scholar and is given school supplies.
Their classroom instruction started last September but the memorandum of agreement between the parties concerned was signed last April 24, 2007.
Two students share a computer for the hands-on phase.
The oldest student is 45 years old while the youngest is a 16-year-old female.
Bill, 31, from Anda town, Pangasinan has been in jail for four years for syndicated estafa. He said he is overwhelmed by this project because he is now spending productive years in prison.
“Before, life looked hopeless,” Bill, who was elected president of their student council, told The STAR in an interview.
He said he and his fellow inmates want to prove to all that life is full of hope if they are only given the chance to change for the better.
“New venture, new life,” he said.
He praised the government and the LNU for this noble project, saying, “We are the pioneers here.”
He said others also give computer education to inmates but these are merely lectures or short-term. Theirs, he said, is different because they have the same curriculum as other “regular” students and they will also get their diplomas and transcripts of record when they graduate.
Perla, another inmate from Tarlac who is facing illegal recruitment charges and has been in prison for five years, said the last time she went to school was in the 1980s.
“This is a great opportunity because we will gain more knowledge and we are updated with the latest technology,” she said.
“Sometimes, I feel nervous during recitation,” said Perla, who was elected secretary of their student council.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance so we grabbed the opportunity,” she said.
She said she hopes to be employed once freed from prison.
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