Literate Inmates Will Educate Their Illiterate Counterparts Via Telangana Jails' New Program

India doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to prison standards, and perhaps as a destination for punishment there isn’t much attention given to the living facilities for the inmates. Although the primary aim of incarceration may be to repent and repay a debt to society, it is also the most effective platform for rehabilitation which is something the Telangana Prison system seems to have finally realised. Jails all across the state have implemented new programs for the betterment of their residents. One such initiative is the Vidyadanam Scheme, a literacy program in which educated prisoners help to teach those that are illiterate or haven’t had exposure to formal schooling. This project, started by the state’s Director General of Prisons, V.K . Singh currently includes around 17,000 prisoners and hopefully more in the future.

Singh is very passionate about his endeavour. “Generally, the prisoners in Indian jails are illiterate. Almost 35 to 40 per cent of the prisoners are illiterate. They don’t know how to sign also. When I joined, I thought it would be a great social contribution if we are able to make all these illiterate prisoners literate,” he told Asian News International. His contribution is a great step forward for prisoner rehabilitation in the country.
There is a very strict system in place regarding class structure the educated prisoners play the role of the teachers and are charged with the task of training any illiterate prisoners. It functions as a three month semester system so, if a person has been in jail for a year, the first three months would mean that he is spending time in standard one, the next three in standard two and so on. Singh is very keen on maintaining discipline.
“Classes are mandatory unless they are sick,” he says. “They have weekly tests and assessments every month. Most of them are happy by the time they leave.” They seem to be getting the desired results as the number of prison deaths has fallen drastically from 56 last year to 14 this year. The start of the Vidyadanam Scheme marks a whole new age for the Indian prison system and with further implementation, it is very likely to better the future prospects for ex-cons across the country.

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