PESHAWAR
Transformation of inmates at Abbottabad District Jail to transform them into useful members of the society and citizens are in full swing.
Various initiatives for the transformation of prisoners including a six-month informal education programme under which students are provided with basic books of Urdu and also taught basic mathematics and beside reading signboards, the programme also enable the prisoners to do basic accountancy.
Talking to APP, Superintendent District Jail Abbottabad, Hamid Azam Khan said that all those prisoners, who are dropped out of schools due to any reason are provided opportunity to complete their secondary level education and facilitated in taking Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination.
He said that this year, seven prisoners have taken the examinations of 9th and 10th grade and Diploma in Commerce (D-Com). One of these prisoners is a woman, which had taken examination. For this purpose, he said a formal examination centre is declared in the prison.
Similarly, the they have produced 10 huffaz since 2018 and seven are in progress.
Furthermore, he said that an awareness regarding Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is also being carried out in the jail to take benefit of the pro-poor initiative of the government. He said that the administration of jail has registered 27 prisoners for the stipend of the BISP.
A skill development programme to impart training to the inmates is also being carried in collaboration with National Vocational and Technical Training Company (NAVTTC) and prisoners are being taught dress making other skills while efforts for affiliation with Technical Training Board (TTB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is also in progress.
The Superintendent of District Jail, Abbottabad also told that the provincial government has passed rules for the Prisoners’ Welfare Fund under which 30% of the share of income from the production of industrial activities in prisoners will go prisoners.
For this purpose, he said a shopping bag manufacturing unit has been established in the prison and bank accounts have been opened for the prisoners, where the income will be deposited, which could be cashed through cheques and ATM card.
He said that the jail is also facilitating prisoners and their relatives and friends through virtual visitation. Now the relatives of prisoners don’t need to travel from any city of the province to meet prisoners in jail of other cities as they can go to their nearest jail and to meet through video link facility with prisoners confined in the prison of another city.
