Three inmates and a correctional officer from Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre are the latest scholarship recipients to have completed an Associate of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean through a successful
ongoing partnership with the University, Government and Stand Up for Jamaica.
The three successful scholars who yesterday officially graduated from the programme, earned their degrees through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the Ministry of National Security through the DCS, Stand Up for Jamaica and the UCC in January 2020.
Under the MOU the university provides full-tuition scholarships valued at over J$600,000 to the beneficiaries for the two-year programme.
Executive Director of SUFJ, Carla Gullotta in expressing “eternal gratitude” to UCC for its
continued support, described the university's effort as “ revolutionary” noting that it is the first University to offer inmates an opportunity to pursue higher education.
So it is a huge commitment from that side and from my side it is the confirmation that
rehabilitation is a key instrument because our students are doing very well. They pass their
exams while they study in an environment which is not conducive.
It is difficult to study in prison.
SUFJ has been investing significant funds into the programme to ensure that the beneficiaries have access to the necessary resources, including books and computer laboratories with the help of donors such as Sandals Foundation Jamaica and the European Union.
Rehabilitation works, I would love to recommend civil society to take note that a second chance is possible and that the stigma which is following them once they leave the institution is a serious obstacle for them to get a qualified job.
Noting that the recipients are extremely qualified, Gullotta stressed that they deserve an
opportunity to show that they have made striking changes since their incarceration.
Dean of the School of Business, Entrepreneurship and Management at UCC, Sonia Davidson
said the inmates and correctional officers who participated in the programmes have been very impressive.
They are diligent, all the lecturers tell you that these students don't play, they are prepared for class, they do their work, they do their assignments and all of them have ended up with a GPA of over 3.5.
She noted that all the recipients had to meet the requirement of five Caribbean Secondary
Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects including Mathematics and English and that some of them have since gone on to pursue their bachelors degree.
Davidson said six inmates and one correctional officer from the first cohort are now slated to
complete their bachelor's degree in December.
I think this programme has done very well and SUFJ will tell you that some of them have been released from the institution but they still completed the programme.
In the meantime, she said the university welcomes any support that corporate Jamaica can offer to make sure that it remains a success.
As I’ve said each of them is over $600,000 for the programme, but it is not only just the tuition, they need books, they need all the supplies to go with it, and the labs at the correctional facilities need upgraded computers because they have to do it online, so all of that is important for the programme to be successful and for them to get through, so any help is needed.
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