117 inmates and wards to sit CSEC exams

The Department of Correctional Services says 93 inmates and 24 wards of the state will be sitting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations this month.

The subjects include English language, Mathematics, Principles of Accounts, Economics, English Literature and Food and Nutrition.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of National Security, Matthew Samuda, lauded the department’s education programme while also acknowledging that additional resources are needed.

“We have a duty of care to the most vulnerable in the DCS and will continue on a pathway of transformation to ensure that all inmates and wards are given equal opportunities to become agents of change. Nonetheless, I applaud those sitting these exams for taking the first step in advancing their educational development. Despite the need for additional resources, we will continue to prevail in our efforts,” he said in a statement.

Commissioner of Corrections, Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Gary Rowe, says the department is committed to transforming inmates for successful reintegration.

“We understand that education is one of the most powerful tool we can give our inmates, ensuring they become productive citizens upon release,” he said.

The DCS has a robust educational system divided into three categories: remedial studies, intermediate and advanced.

The education programme facilitates inmates and children from the most basic literacy level to external examinations such as the CSEC Examinations.

For the past five years, the department has had an above 60 percent pass in the CSEC exams.

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