Justice and Correctional Services Minister, Advocate Michael Masutha has wished the 102 offenders sitting for their 2014 matriculation examinations every success.
Encouraging the offenders, Minister Masutha said: “You are holding the key to a brighter future in your hands. Do not let this slip away from you as any ideal of a thriving economy, with a higher capacity to absorb job seekers, begins with education”.
The Minister also commended the steady, but sure, improvement in the numbers of deserving youth in correctional centres who are grabbing education opportunities with both hands. Since 2009, Correctional Services has improved offender access to education through increasing fulltime schools from one to 14 and its intake for matric examinations from 29 in 2009 to 161 learners in 2014. The department has been registering outstanding matriculation results with numerous inmates achieving various distinctions.
The Department of Correctional Services examination centres include Usethubeni in KwaZulu-Natal, Baviaanspoort and Johannesburg in Gauteng, Barberton Youth and Barberton Maximum in Mpumalanga, as well as St Albans and Cradock in Eastern Cape.
Minister Masutha added: “Education is our number one priority in South Africa, as we strive to realize the ideals of a prosperous nation as outlined in the National Development Plan. To realize our ambitions, we dare not neglect the untapped potential of those incarcerated in correctional centres in our contribution to development and public safety”.
Correctional Services has placed education and training at the centre of its rehabilitation agenda, which is a new paradigm aimed at eliminating illiteracy, under qualifications and the absence of critical technical skills and competencies required for employment or self-employment.
The education intervention programmes were strengthened by the introduction of a compulsory education policy in 2012, targeting youth up to the age of 25. Correctional Services introduced a compulsory education policy to provide a carrot and a stick to attract and push offenders to join education programmes. One of the challenges identified include the fact that 35,000 offenders do not even have a grade nine qualification while over 5 000 were absolutely illiterate - unable to read, write or count.
Minister Masutha urged all offenders make the best use of the education opportunities offered by the Department of Correctional Services in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education.
Centre No writing:
St Albans in the Eastern Cape 6
Cradock in the Eastern Cape 9
Baviaanspoort in Gauteng 4
Johannesburg in Gauteng 31
Usethubeni in KwaZulu Natal 35
Barberton Youth in Mpumalanga 6
Barberton Max in Mpumalanga 11
Total: 102
Enquiries:
Advocate Mthunzi Mhaga
Cell: 083 641 8141
