Vulamasango lessons go on
ONGOING: “The learning facilities are under His Majesty’s Correctional Services ( HMCS) and their core mandate is to equip incarcerated children with essential life skills”
MAN Z IN I-While schools have been closed since t he violence which erupted during the recent pro- democracy protests, lessons at HMCS centres, including Vulamasango Primary and High schools were not affected.
The learning facilities are under His Majesty’s Correctional Services ( HMCS) and their core mandate is to equip incarcerated children with essential life skills so that they could develop desirable attitude and behaviour towards environment and society. In that regard, the learning centres serve as a programme of education, formal and non- formal under the extension services.
HMCS Public Relations Officer ( PRO) Senior Superintendent Gugulethu Dlamini confirmed that children who were under their custody were continuing with their studies in the various centres; Vulamasango Primary and High schools ( Malkerns), Young Person Correctional Centres at Mal kerns, Matsapha and Pigg’s Peak to ge ther with Maw el a wela Correctional Facility at Luyengo. She also said they were also doing informal education.
She said this was because their core mandate as a department was to ensure safe custody and rehabilitation of inmates. For young persons, she said the rehabilitation process was carried out mainly through education.
STOP
In that regard, she said if they could stop the teaching and learning process in their facilities because schools were closed, their rehabilitation programme, which is one of their core mandates, could be affected.
“With the mandate we have, we cannot operate like normal schools,” the Correctional services’ mouthpiece said.
Schools closed during the pro- democracy protests, which took place country- wide about a month ago. The protest actions culminated in violence, vandalism and looting of businesses, some of which were burnt. However, the delay in reopening of schools, according to government is because of the surging cases of COVID- 19, the third wave, to be specific.
When the Correctional services department’s PRO was questioned about the issue of COVID- 19, said unlike day scholars who have to travel to go to school, their pupils were confined in one place as they are serving their sentences in the different facilities.
ATTEND
“They do not travel in order to get to school. Those at Young Person Correctional Facility attend classes there and the same goes with those at Mawelawela Correctional Facility,” she said.
Again, it is worth noting that due to the coronavirus, government implemented blended learning whereby pupils would attend face- to- face classes and sometimes learn from home. However, when schools were closed in the beginning of the protests, even home learning was affected as there was internet blackout in the country.
In that regard, the Correctional services PRO said their pupils did not have access to social media, thus they do not have blended learning, but rely on face- to- face teaching and learning.
Closing schools would affect rehabilitation programme, says HMCS PRO