70 DETAINEES IN FIRST batch of jail students

DAVAO City’s College Education Behind Bars (CEBB) accepted 70 out of the 300 detainee applicants for the first batch of students who are eligible to take up Bachelor of Information Technology of Bachelor of Agribusiness.

Before students enrolled in the program, Social Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Business Institute (Setbi) interviewed them about their motivation, length of sentence, and background. Usep administered the admissions exam and screened detainees for basic literacy and readiness for college using such assessment tools as the Test of Adult Basic Education to determine their grade level and vocational assessment needs.

Of the passers, 45 were males and 25 females. Two other programs, Social Entrepreneurship and Hotel and Restaurant Management will be offered in the coming years.

The CEBB aims to give prisoners another chance to live a productive life once they get out of prison. This is a partnership ofUniversity of Southeastern Philippines (Usep), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and Setbi.

The launching late November had as guests Cielito “Honeylet” Avanceña, Commission on Higher Education Commissioner J. Prospero de Vera, Usep President Lourdes Generalo, Setbi officials Dr. Aland Mizell and Atty. Susan Cariaga, and BJMP 11 Regional Director J/Ssupt. Amelia Rayandayan at the Ma-a City Jail.

CEBB aims to provide the inmates, most of who are incarcerated for drug offenses, the means to advance their education while in prison. It also offers them a recovery program while obtaining their college diplomas, so that if or when they are released, they are fully equipped to go back in the society and not be a burden to their families and community.

The program is offered to student inmates for free. When inmate students graduate, they receive a diploma from Usep because they read the same university assigned textbooks and complete the same curricular requirements as students in the regular campus.

Unlike most continuing education initiatives where classes are held inside the jail or prison compound, CEBB classes are held in air conditioned classrooms with computers. There is also a coffee shop at the ground floor of the new building constructed inside the jail compound with the support of the Setbi.

According to Mizell, this enables student to really study and feel that they are outside the confines of detention. Students leave the confines of the city jail and move to the newly constructed building for their classes and go back to their cells in the afternoon.

Ched will throw its full support to replicate this program by tapping state universities and colleges (SUCs) to link with BJMP and local governments all over the country. Several local governments have already indicated their interest to partner with SUCs and the BJMP to launch similar programs. TESDA PR