The Centre for Legal Support and Inmate Rehabilitation (CELSIR), in partnership with VCare for Development Foundation (VCDF), is expanding its Education for Correctional Centres programme to nine correctional centres across Nigeria.
The initiative will also support at least 500 learners with registration and preparation for the General Certificate Examination (GCE), as part of efforts to improve access to education for people in correctional facilities.
CELSIR Executive Director, Joke Aladesanmi, said the expansion represents a significant step in the organisation’s efforts to make quality education more accessible to learners in correctional centres.
The programme, which has traditionally focused on correctional centres in Lagos, will now extend to five additional facilities, comprising three adult and two juvenile centres.
Aladesanmi said the expansion reflects the shared commitment of CELSIR and VCDF to making education a stronger component of rehabilitation and reintegration.
She said access to education should not be determined by a person’s circumstances, adding that the expanded programme would provide more opportunities for learners to acquire recognised qualifications, develop their potential and prepare for life beyond incarceration.
“The partnership marks a transition from sustaining impact to scaling impact, with education positioned at the core of CELSIR’s vision for rehabilitation and reintegration,” she said.
According to Aladesanmi, the 500 learners targeted under the expanded programme will receive support for GCE registration, creating opportunities for them to obtain recognised qualifications that could aid their reintegration into society.
The programme will also leverage technology to improve access to learning, with each participating centre provided with a laptop, projector, speaker and internet modem to facilitate virtual classrooms and digital education.
Among those present at the programme were Olaore FeyiSayo, Director of Integrated Community Services at the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, and Kokogho, Deputy Controller of Corrections in charge of Custodial and Non-Custodial Services, representing the Assistant Controller-General of the Nigeria Correctional Service.
CELSIR said its Education for Correctional Centres programme has so far reached more than 1,300 people.
The organisation has also supported learners in correctional centres to sit for national examinations, including the GCE, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
