Prisoners Screened For Education Prog.

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BVI Platinum News
Inmates at Her Majesty Prison

(PLTM) - The Ministry of Education and Culture has embarked on an education programme which will see inmates at Her Majesty's Prison (HMP) being certified under the Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC). However, they must first be successful at the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT).

WRAT is being used as a screening tool to determine the academic level of each prisoner and to prescribe the placement point in the programme. This test measures the basic academic skills for effective learning, communication and thinking, the ability to read words, comprehend sentences, spell and compute solutions to math problems.

CCSLC modular curriculum spans from one year to five years, depending on the student’s pace for the four main subjects – Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science. Each subject has five modules.

All inmates started screening from yesterday, October 19th and the formal classes are scheduled to begin in January 2017.

Minister of Education and Culture, Hon. Myron Walwyn said that they will be qualifying eight prison officers to administer the WRAT test.

"We expect that the education programme will be built into each inmate’s sentence plan and therefore will play a pivotal role when an inmate is being considered for parole. We see this as an incentive to encourage inmates to take advantage of the programme," Minister Walwyn said.

"It prepares them to reintegrate into society with improved learning and skills for better job opportunities and avoid repeat offending."

The CCSLC will eliminate the step which entails writing the curriculum modules; give inmates a solid foundation for lifelong learning with a structured curriculum which prepares them for eventual study at other levels, and thus earn a high school diploma at the Alternative Secondary Education Programme or certification at CXC CSEC, CAPE or other external examinations which they may wish to pursue; and the programme will also provide a benchmark of achievement with externally marked competence tests and certification to ease the transition into ASEP and the workplace.

Minister Walwyn said that the CCSLC programme will also have little costs associated with it.

"Training for teachers is free, provided that advance notice is given to the Caribbean Examination Council. The exams cost is $12.50 per subject per candidate, which the Ministry will pay. The syllabus can be downloaded from CXC’s website and the programme allows for the easy alignment of prison activities and programmes," Minister Walwyn said.

He stated that the curriculum has a flexible structure and can be taught alongside any other curriculum, and it also assists in tracking students’ progress and identifying barriers to learning through tests.

The assessment will comprise of both teacher assessments and external assessments, and the grades achieved will state whether a person is developing competence and has mastered the concepts.

Candidates can receive certification for individual subjects or for all.

Inmates whose sentences have ended before completing the entire programme are expected to have a seamless transition into mainstream education at secondary schools or at the Alternative Secondary Education Programme.

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