Brandvlei prisoners get Stellenbosch University certificates
STUDENTS from Stellenbosch University (SU) and Brandvlei Correctional Centre inmates who participated in South Africa’s first interdisciplinary short course held in prison received their SU-accredited competence certificates yesterday.
The Ubuntu Learning Short Course was the result of a partnership between SU and the Correctional Services Department.
The 14-week course, which brought together 30 SU students and inmates for classes once a week at the prison, started in March.
The aim of the course was to promote social justice and rehumanise learning through collaboration.
The course was initiated by Dr Mary Nel of SU’s law faculty. She was inspired by similar prison education initiatives run in the UK and the US.
Nel said the course managed to change the perceptions of those behind bars by bringing together people from diverse backgrounds to learn in a safe environment.
She said the aim was to expand the initiative to other universities and to continue to challenge stereotypes.
Regional co-ordinator of education and training at the Department of Correctional Services Andile Nelani thanked SU for the role it played in rehabilitating the Brandvlei students.
“We hope that through this initiative we will be able to engage other groups that will contribute to correction. We want this facility to be a theatre of learning instead of only a correctional facility,” Nelani said.
Brandvlei course participant Awande Mshontana said the nature of the course equipped him to raise persuasive legal arguments.