Delhi government to provide skill training, educational support to Tihar jail inmates

NEW DELHI: Delhi government will provide skill training and educational support to Tihar jail inmates to help them reintegrate better with the society after completion of their jail term, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on Thursday. In order to facilitate the programme, Delhi government school teachers will study the education background and potential skills of the inmates.

Sisodia held a meeting with the director-general (prison) Sandeep Goel, Secretary Education Ashok Kumar, and senior officials of the education department, including the teachers working with jail inmates, on Thursday to discuss the details of the project. "Our government believes that right education is the only way to set the right mindset among people and help them lead a better and meaningful life. There are nearly 20,000 inmates in Tihar jail," Sisodia said. "Under this project, our teachers will talk to the inmates to understand their educational background and skilling needs and accordingly new programmes will be designed for them." "Further, the study will also help the government understand the gaps in the education system, due to which crimes are still happening in the society," he added.

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Sisodia, who is also Delhi's education minister, directed the teachers to interact very diligently and sensitively with the inmates. Teachers should ensure that they are able to understand the inmates’ unique skills during their conversation and highlight their areas of interest for working in future, he said. Delhi government already runs an education programme in Tihar jail and its additional complexes in Rohini and Mandoli, where government teachers have been appointed by the Directorate of Education and are taking classes weekly. Now these teachers will be supporting the government with this study," he added.