Varsity seeks partnership with prisons to offer degree courses to inmates

Prisoners at the Kamiti maximum prison dance during a set in Nairobi on February, 19 2016. Prisoners in Kenya could soon graduate with degrees as the Presbyterian Church of East Africa seeks to partner with the prisons department to introduce higher education in all the prisons. PHOTO | AFP | FREDRIK LERNERYD

What you need to know:

  • Speaking during a graduation ceremony of 42 inmates at King’ong’o prison in Nyeri on Friday, the church’s communication director Peter Kamuthu said that they were in the process of designing a study structure for the inmates.
  • The inmates graduated with a basic diploma in theological studies, this being the only course offered to prisoners in the programme that is under the Presbyterian University of East Africa.
  • According to Mr Kamuthu, the programme is set to introduce other courses in different fields of study which will be conducted under the regular and distance learning programmes.

Prisoners in Kenya could soon graduate with degrees as the Presbyterian Church of East Africa seeks to partner with the prisons department to introduce higher education in all the prisons.

Speaking during a graduation ceremony of 42 inmates at King’ong’o prison in Nyeri on Friday, the church’s communication director Peter Kamuthu said that they were in the process of designing a study structure for the inmates.

The inmates graduated with a basic diploma in theological studies, this being the only course offered to prisoners in the programme that is under the Presbyterian University of East Africa.

According to Mr Kamuthu, the programme is set to introduce other courses in different fields of study which will be conducted under the regular and distance learning programmes.

“We are looking to introduce classes inside the prisons as a way to provide equal opportunities to the inmates in terms of access to education,” said Mr Kanuthu.

There is also plan to introduce e-learning in the programme which will see inmates conduct their studies on the web.

If successful, the programme will see the introduction of classes and computer laboratories inside prisons.

This programme will also be a way to rehabilitate inmates serving both short and long sentences in Kenyan prisons.

Currently inmates have access to primary, secondary and tertiary education. However the tertiary education is limited technical training but the inmates could soon have access to professional training.