As many as 297 prisoners in jails across the State appeared for literacy examinations as part of the Jail Jyothi programme of the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority here on Saturday.
This is the first examination to be held for prisoners who were completely illiterate. Thiruvananthapuram district had the maximum number of examinees – 121. Fifty-nine were from Central Prison, Poojappura; seven from the Women’s Jail; 30 from the Special Jail; and 25 from the District Jail. Two of the prisoners at Central Prison were from Bihar. At the prison, Deputy Inspector General of Prisons and Correctional Services B. Pradeep inaugurated the examination by handing over the question paper to the oldest learner Chandran, 75. Mission assistant director J. Vijayamma presided over the event.
Besides Thiruvananthapuram, two women prisoners sat for the exam in Ernakulam district. There were nine examinees in total in Ernakulam. After Thiruvananthapuram, Kasaragod had the most number of prisoners taking the exam – 33. Kottayam had 13 examinees, Thrissur 25, Palakkad 29, Malappuram 30, Kannur 15, and Wayanad 22. The prisoners were tested on reading, writing, and Mathematics.
