Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has opened a Special Study Centre at Ballari Central Jail.
Ballari Central Jail is perhaps the first in the State to have this facility to help the inmates to pursue education.
When contacted, Anand Reddy, Jail Superintendent told The Hindu said that he had received a letter from the Regional Office of IGNOU in this regard besides appointing him as its coordinator.
According to him, so far, 104 inmates had enrolled with IGNOU and completed their education. This year 50 inmates have enrolled. The inmates were studying various courses including degree, post-graduate, diploma and certificate courses and also studying specialised courses on Panchayat Raj, B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi. Apart from this, around 24 have enrolled with the Karnataka State Open University to pursue education.
He informed that with the special study centre set up here examinations to these various courses, which were hitherto held at some of the colleges in the city, would be held in the jail premises itself from the current year itself.
Apart from conducting classes regularly, there was also a facility for imparting bridge course training called Bachelor Preparatory Programme for the benefits of under-graduates intending to pursue their higher studies, he said.
The government will meet the educational expenses of these inmates while in jail. After release, they will bear the expenses on their own.
In addition, the inmates are encouraged to exhibit their talent in literature (poems, ‘shayari’), cultural activities (dance and acting) by organising cultural events on important days like Republic Day and Independence Day.
Scholarships for children of convicts
The authorities of Ballari Central Jail have been functioning as facilitators in getting scholarships for the children of the convicts.
With the help of District Child Protection Committee and also Janodaya Trust, a Bengaluru-based non-governmental organisation, scholarships were being given to the children of the convicts to enable them to continue their education.
The facility was introduced in the year 2013-14, passing on the benefits to 86 children totalling Rs. 2.35 lakhs, (ranging from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 3,500) in the first year itself. During the subsequent year, a sum of Rs. 4.35 lakhs was distributed as scholarships to 141 children (ranging from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 6,000).
Jail authorities also informed that inmates from other districts, including Koppal, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Raichur, Tumakuru, Bengaluru, Kolar and Chikkaballapur, were also submitting their applications seeking scholarships and the same was being forwarded to the Child Protection Committees of the respective districts.
