11 juvenile inmates to sit for SPM

KOTA KINABALU: Eleven juvenile inmates who are serving their sentences will be sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) on Nov 13.

They comprised seven males and four females.

One of the examination candidates, Shah, 20, is aiming high and hopes to get 5As.

He has already attained 3As and 2Cs in his trial examination, hence his goal will not be that difficult for him to achieve.

Prior to his sentencing, Shah said he wanted to become a doctor.

But now, he only hopes to be able to go out and help his family.

“I want to do the best. I want to continue my studies,” he told reporters when met at a ceremony where all the candidates were given the opportunity to meet with their loved ones, mainly their parents and seek their blessings prior to the examination.

He is studying at the Sekolah Integriti Kota Kinabalu ( SIKK) Sabah located in the prison ground.

He is imprisoned for an offence under Section 376 of the Penal Code.

Shah also said that his mother visits him regularly while his estranged father never visits him.

Yet another aspiring candidate, Sabri, 20, said that he wanted to excel in the SPM.

He added that he stopped schooling after Form Three, and the time spent as an inmate has provided him with the opportunity to concentrate on his education. “We have a lot of time here,” he said. The father of two said that his wife and mother visit him regularly.

He was sentenced for an offence under Section 380 of the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, Kota Kinabalu Prisons Department director Senior Assistant Commissioner Zulkifli Abdul Manah said that the State Prisons Department was committed to reducing the rate of recidivist (repeat offenders) for offenders between 17 and 21 years old.

He said that the provision of education in prison had been made into a form of therapy and hoped that this would bring about changes to the inmates. “I believe that with education, the inmates will be able to build a better future and help in the development of the country,” he said.

He also said that this was in line with the mission and vision of the Malaysia Prisons Department to rehabilitate and produce productive inmates.

He added that SIKK had already produced several graduates and presently there were four studying at the Open University Malaysia, one studying at the Institut Latihan Perindustrian (ILP), two at the Kolej Teknikal Yayasan Sabah ( KTYS) and one studying engineering at the Politeknik, near here.