By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA
Accra, Feb. 23, GNA – Leyden Educational Consult, a United Kingdom-based organisation, has donated 30 laptops preloaded with educational materials to the Ghana Prisons Service to support technical and vocational skills training for inmates and officers.
The initiative forms part of a partnership between the organisation, the Ghana Prisons Service and the Crime Check Foundation (CCF) aimed at equipping inmates with relevant knowledge and practical skills to aid their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
Dr James Owusu, the Chief Executive Officer of Leyden Educational Consult, said the training programmes, which could be pursued up to Advanced Diploma level, were UK-certified and offered free of charge.
He explained that the intervention was designed to provide inmates with competencies that would improve their employability and reduce the risk of re-offending after their release.
According to him, the donation marked the beginning of a broader collaboration to expand access to education and technical training within Ghana’s prison system.
Dr Owusu noted that although the Ghana Prisons Service was implementing reforms and rehabilitation programmes, many inmates re-offended within the first six months after their release.
He said the partnership sought to ensure that inmates acquired marketable skills before leaving custody to enable them to reintegrate successfully into society and secure employment.
The laptops, he added, were installed with educational software to promote technical skills, critical thinking and job readiness.
The initiative also includes entrepreneurship training to enable beneficiaries to start their own businesses where necessary.
Dr Owusu said inmates would receive post-release support through collaboration with the Foundation to help sustain their rehabilitation and reduce re-offending within the first six months, which was the primary target of the programme.
Some of the laptops would also be allocated to prison officers to enhance their professional development and career progression.
The Deputy Director of Prisons, Mr Edward Ashun, Commanding Officer at Prisons Headquarters, commended the donors for the gesture.
He said the support complemented the Service’s “Think Prisons 360” initiative, which focused on education and skills training for both inmates and officers.
He noted that the laptops, preloaded with educational programmes, would significantly enhance skills development and educational advancement within the prison system.
Mr Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, the Executive Director, Crime Check Foundation, who facilitated the donation, said the initiative was proposed during an engagement with Dr Owusu to support the Service’s reform and rehabilitation agenda.
He expressed satisfaction that the laptops would serve as a pilot project and reiterated the role of civil society organisations in advocating improved prison conditions, reformation and rehabilitation.
Mr Kwarteng commended Dr Owusu for honouring his commitment and called for sustained partnerships to expand educational opportunities for inmates.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe