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Human rights activists differ on prisoners education

  1. Posted on Wednesday 17 February 2010 - 12:35
    FRAZER POTANI
    Image of FRAZER POTANI
    Human rights activists differ on prisoners education
    By Frazer Potani, Lilongwe, Malawi

    Malawian human rights activists have differed on university education for prisoners.

    The development followed after 11 out of 123 prisoners who sat for Malawi School Certificate Education (MSCE) examinations last year qualified for University education.

    Undule Mwakasungula, Executive Director for Center for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) [one of Malawi's earliest human rights organizations that played a greater role for Malawi’s political change from one party to multiparty democracy, urged government to find ways of permitting prisoners to access tertiary education while serving their sentences in prisons.

    Mwakasungula argued that one of the objectives of sending convicts to prison is rehabilitating and not just punishing them.

    “And education can be one of the ways to rehabilitating prisoners,” said Mwakasungula.

    However, Justice Link human rights lawyer Justin Dzonzi barring outstanding prisoners from tertiary education is not wrong.

    “The fact that some prisoners pass examinations with flying colors does not override that they are convicts. In fact in legal terms, a convict has limited freedom,” said Dzonzi adding, “For instance, prisoners are not allowed to enjoy some freedoms such as movement which people outside prison enjoy.”

    Malawi Prison Service (MPS) spokesperson Evans Phiri said that a prisoner from Mzimba Prison was the best performer in last year’s MSCE exams after scoring 19 points.

    However Phiri said: “In Malawi prisoners are only allowed to sit for university entrance examinations and if successful, they have to ask the institutions to admit them after completing serving their sentences.”
    Human rights activists differ on prisoners education

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