Technical education for Central Jail inmates from Nov
By SYED INTIKHAB ALI October 7, 2008 KARACHI - Technical education for prisoners at Karachi Central Jail is expected to begin from November, while several industrial units either have been revived or opened in the Central Prison to make prisoners a useful law abiding citizens. Computer lab has been expanded, power looms which were shut down, now have been repaired, The Nation has learnt on Monday.
Informed sources said that power looms which were imported from Switzerland were shut down in 1997 in Karachi prison. After repairing and without spending a single penny it has produced more than 6,000 meters of cloth which is being sold out in the open market resultantly handsome amount have been paid to the prisoners.
Sources said that in Sindh, 20 prisons are functioning with an appropriate jail population of 20,000 prisoners. Out of total jail population, about 50 per cent prisoners are detained in Karachi Central Jail and District Jail, Malir.
They said that ten power looms which were earlier shut down, now have been repaired by a local manufacturer, and all these machines are manufacturing good quality cloths.
The jail officials said that other machines in Malir Jail and Central Prison Hyderabad were also under repairing process and would start functioning very soon. They said that computer lab had been expanded in the jail and a lab of 40 computers was functioning at Karachi Central Jail. Carpet and Daree manufacturing, flower making, stitching of ladies garments, small decoration items, Tasbeeh and key chains are also being made by the prisoners. These products have been sold out in the open market and the earning to be given to the prisoners.
It is also learnt that Taleem-i-Baleghan programme has also been started in most of the prisons in Sindh.
The Deputy Inspector General Prison, Mumtaz Burni, when contacted told The Nation that technical education would be initiated as soon as possible keeping in view the market demand. Courses of computer, refrigerator and air conditioner repairing would be initiated here so that the prisoners get skill and earn their livelihood when freed.
He said that NGOs were doing good job for prisoners but still much needed for their counselling. Burni said that computer classes regularly held in the prison and more than 50 prisoners had been trained.
Superintendent Women Prison, Sheba Shah, said that a Montessori school was running in the women prison where children of women prisoners were getting education on regular basis. She said that women prisoners who show interest in the computer education opportunities were being provided to them for computer training.