MAKHADO – Inmates of the Makhado Correctional Services who passed their ABET examination, and those who successfully completed their Religious Studies, graduated at the Makhado Prison Hall on September 11.

Nearly fifty diplomas were handed over to inmates who had completed their Religious Studies, while ten ABET certificates were handed over to inmates who had passed their one-year course. The Adult Basic Education and Training was facilitated by the South African National Literacy Initiative (SANLI), and the diploma in Religious Studies was facilitated under the guidance of World Outreach Ministries.

According to the Head of the Makhado Prison, Mr Mashudu Phillip Netshipale, they are just following the mission and vision of the Correctional Services that prison is no longer a place of punishment, but a place of correction for those who have committed crimes in the community, wherein they are successfully re-integrated back into their communities.

"Correctional Services focus on why the inmate is in prison, we check those who are lacking social and religious care and then we advise them to join where they fit in," he said. According to Mr Love Masia, regional co-ordinator of ABET, the vision of SANLI is to take it to various communities, including prison cells. "We had realised that literacy provision has had limited success in meeting these goals in the past. We are now committed to tackling these issues facing every impoverished community in South Africa," he said. When encouraging prisoners, Masia said that a learning nation is a winning nation. "When you are in prison, it does not mean that you have to be dormant and fold your hands. Our programmes are aimed at providing the inmates with the opportunity to change their personal lives and to enable them to be productive while in prison, in order to contribute to the quality of life," he said.

He said the most important thing for ABET officials is to see the inmate learners for what they are and for what they can be, not for what they were. Masia said that the Constitution of the country states that everybody has the right to Basic Education and Training, including the prisoners.

"SANLI was established with the purpose of engaging with all organisations involved in the development and delivery of literacy. It set itself a target of one million people newly able to read and write by 2004," he said. He further claimed to be winning the battle against illiteracy, adding that the recent survey placed them at 93%, from 86% in 1994. In their collection of information, they have found that between 1999 and 2002, over one million learners attended and successfully completed literacy and ABET programmes.

Literacy programmes comprise mother tongue and 2nd language instruction. Numeracy includes modules related to money matters and aspects on HIV/Aids. " It this sense, we characterise programmes like these as being initiatives that contribute simultaneously to the building of democracy, the elimination of poverty and the attainment of literacy," he said.

The South African National Literacy Initiative is a national project started by Minister of Education, Kader Asmal, with the aim of breaking the back of illiteracy in South Africa and was given to the University of the South Africa (UNISA).