2,199 male, 207 female inmates complete diploma, degree courses in Maharashtra prisons

These courses by YCMOU were first rolled out in the central prisons of Yerwada and Nagpur. As of now the university has study centres at 10 prisons in the state: central prisons of Yerwada, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Amravati, Mumbai, Taloja, Thane, Aurangabad, Nashik and the district prison of Kalyan.

According to information provided by authorities at Yerwada prison who help in facilitating these courses, while both undertrials and convicts sign up for the courses, the majority are convicts. Data till June-July 2024 indicates that the total prison population in the state is 40,428 with 38,345 male, 1,666 females and 17 others. Among these the total number of convicts is 7,477, which include 7,170 male convicts and 306 female convicts. A total of 2,856 inmates in the state have completed courses offered by YCMOU.

The MoU was signed for a period of five years in the presence of YCMOU Vice-Chancellor Prof Sanjeev Sonawane, Special Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services) Dr Jalindar Supekar and Addl Director General of Police, state CID, Prashant Burde.

Talking to the media, Sonawane said, “The university’s motto is ‘Gyan ganga gharo ghari’ — River of knowledge should flow through every house. So this is our attempt to reach our inmate brothers and sisters for whom prison is their home. We don’t charge any fees for the courses, except for the Rs 200 registration charge. Coming next, we will introduce skill-based courses and certificates in mobile repair, website designing. Anyone can take up whichever course they are interested in of the 150 we offer.”

To run the courses, the university first provides books and study materials to those who sign up. After that on weekends, teachers are sent to solve their queries about the subject, teach them how to read the books, and how to prepare for the exam.

But the prison itself employs people who work as teachers and counsellors. “The courses provided by open universities require a lot of self-study. So if and when inmates have doubts in their subjects, they ask the teachers and sometimes even the jailers to help them out. We also are the ones who complete the admission process. There are social workers who ensure all the required documents and marksheets are available,” said an employee at the Yerwada Central Prison.

Speaking at the event, Burde said, “It is ideally expected that once the inmates are out of prison, they won’t indulge in recidivism. But that is the case around the world and unfortunately the numbers are higher in India. Prisons don’t come with resources to help inmates walk on the right path. We are trying through these initiatives to facilitate them with that, though we are a long way from achieving it.”