The inmates at the National Palace of Correction (NPC) in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, have shown great interest in an adult literacy program recently introduced at the facility with support from the Government of Liberia and UNMIL to help prisoners acquire certain skills while in detention.

 Zwedru NPC Director Joseph Sumo says the programme is one of several initiatives to help the prisoners acquire certain skills even while serving time. Vocational training programmes include agriculture, Tye-dyeing, soap making, tailoring, and counselling.

Sumo believes the training would be of great benefit to inmates upon their release. With their new skills, he says, they should be able to contribute meaningfully to nation-building.

The NPC Director says the literacy programme was launched following a needs assessment.

Conrad Ablekpe, a Mentor/Trainer from UNMIL’s Corrections Advisory Unit (CAU) recalls that during the needs assessment some former teachers were spotted amongst the inmates and these have also volunteered to teach in the literacy programme.

Ablekpe lauds the initiative, arguing that without the requisite vocational skills, it would be difficult for inmates to contribute meaningfully to nation-building.

He also reckons the adult literacy programme and similar initiatives can help to discourage jailbreaks, as inmates get busy with their different programmes, with little time to contemplate or scheme an escape. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop,” the CAU official quipped. 

He, however called on other organizations to help sustain these and other NPC initiatives, noting that the Government alone can’t meet the needs of the facility.