offenders
27 February 2009
Over 200 offenders have today received diplomas and certificates as
facilitators of Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) at a graduation
ceremony held at the Department of Correctional Serviceâs Pretoria Correctional
Centre. The inmates are beneficiaries of a joint skills development programme
of the Department of Correctional Services, National Youth Service (NYS) and
Project Literacy. The NYS is a youth development initiative championed by The
Presidency and implemented by the Umsobomwu Youth Fund through its partner
Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the Youth Commission.
Correctional Services National Commissioner Xoliswa Sibeko says: âToday we
have incarcerated over 60 000 young people who are younger than 25 years of
age. Many of them are totally or semi-illiterate and have committed heinous
crimes against society.â
She said research had shown that one of the key contributing factors to
criminal behaviour is illiteracy, which limits employment chances for affected
people, who might subsequently turn to crime in order to survive or sustain
themselves. Currently illiteracy levels in South Africa are believed to be at
around 50% to 70%. These kinds of figures suggest there would be a continuous
cycle of crime among those offenders who are already caught up in the web. The
Department of Correctional Services is therefore placing a lot of emphasis on
rehabilitation of offenders through various programmes so as to reduce
re-offending.
Formal education is one of the strategic rehabilitation projects adopted by
the department and so far the number of inmates who participate in ABET in
order to gain basic literacy skills is increasing steadily. In 2008 up to 13
702 in 2008 were participating compared to just over 9 000 in 2006. This
indicates that more and more offenders are wiling to participate in programmes
that will assist them improve their lives so that they donât depend on and
continue living a life rooted in criminal activity.
âTogether with our partners we will continue to invest in rehabilitation
programmes to correct offending behaviour and circumstances that may increase
the offendersâ propensity to recommit crime on release. We would only record
partial and unsustainable victories in the fight against crime if we donât
rehabilitate and empower offenders. We believe rehabilitation contributes
significantly to the reduction of crime rates in our country,â said National
Commissioner of Correctional Services Ms Xoliswa Sibeko.
She added that scholars in criminology and sociology believe that there is a
strong correlation between high illiteracy levels and crime, because those
without the ability to read, write and count would generally find it extremely
difficult to function particularly in modern societies. Illiteracy therefore
must be fought with the same energy of fighting crime in South Africa.
CEO of the Umsobomvu Youth Fund which partly funded the project, Malose
Kekana, says âthis initiative supports many initiatives of the government which
seek to promote skills development and creating opportunities for young people
in the country.â Mr Kekana added that an enabling scenario has been created
include the Skills Development Strategy, Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative
(ASGISA) and the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) among
others. âA nation without an economically viable youth is a doomed nation. The
development of these offenders and empowering them with relevant skills is not
only a part of their rehabilitation but also ensures the economic viability of
the nation.â
This training was provided to offenders between ages 18 to 35 at different
correctional centres across the country and will indirectly benefit thousands
more as each one of the graduates will now be expected to recruit other inmates
to teach them to read, write and count. The pilot group is expected to reach
4800 offenders with those on parole expected to assist in spreading the impact
widely.
The training of Adult Base Education and Training (ABET) facilitators was
conducted for offenders and parolees coming from 62 correctional centres, as
was conducted at main centres that include Brandvlei, Worcester female, St
Albans, Kroostad female, Groenpunt, Johannesburg female, Boksburg, Witbank and
Durban.
The 236 member pilot group will be receiving certificates of achievement
comprising approximately 140 offenders who will be receiving a full ABET
Diploma which is an equivalent of an National Qualifications Framework (NQF)
Level five qualification. This will help to augment correctional services human
resources in relation to provision of mass literacy programmes to
offenders.
Enquiries:
Manelisi Wolela
083 626 0304
Or
Refilwe Mphane
084 308 5860
Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
27 February 2009
