KINGSTON, Jamaica - Four inmates and two correctional services officers are to benefit from scholarships to study for an associate degree in business administration at the University at the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) under a government and private-sector partnership.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate the award of the six full scholarships, was signed on Wednesday, February 23 by representatives from the Ministry of National Security, Department of Correctional Services (DCS), the UCC, and non-governmental organisation (NGO), Stand Up for Jamaica.
The scholarships will be offered to both male and female inmates and correctional officers at the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre and the South Camp Adult Correctional Centre, Kingston.
They will benefit from fully paid tuition, appropriately equipped labs, books, materials, and student support services, to facilitate online classes.
State Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Zavia Mayne, in his address at the virtual signing ceremony, said that the award of the six scholarships is “a step in the right direction” as the ministry and its stakeholders seek to provide more opportunities for learning in correctional facilities.
He noted that the ministry and the DCS are committed to “giving inmates hope for a better future and the opportunity to become better versions of themselves, once they have served their time and are released back into the wider society”.
Commissioner of Corrections, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Gary Rowe, said that the DCS is dedicated to the higher education and rehabilitation of inmates in its care, as well as the welfare of the officers within its institutions.
Articol from Jamaica Observer - February 24th, 2022