26 Feb 2019
Prison is as far as the sentencing road goes for offenders in Zimbabwe, but does not need to be the end of the world. ”We want to give inmates a shot at being a good member of society – that’s what we’re here for,” echoes Leeman Dube the Director of Simphiwe Development Trust. Simphiwe Development Trust in affiliation with the National University of Science and Technology (Nust), piloted an inmates’ ICT skills training program at Grey Prison in Bulawayo. A first of its kind program in Zimbabwean Prisons. A total of Seventeen (17) inmates after undergoing a 4months training graduated with an ICDL certificate on the 19th of December 2018 at Grey Prison in Bulawayo. The course was facilitated by facilitators from Simphiwe Development Trust and accredited by the National University of Science and Technology.
The graduation event was graced by ZPCS Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Advisory Board member Dr Lucky Mlilo, senior ZPCS Officers from the Bulawayo Province, representatives from the National University of Science and Technology, NANGO Board members and guests from other CSOs programming in the prisons.
The Simphiwe Development Trust Director Mr LeemanDube says the training was a pilot project meant to equip inmates for life after prison. Mr Dube states that the program seeks to complement governmet efforts t reducing crime and also the number of repeat offenders. Comprehensive crime prevention programs must include effective measures to prevent repeat-offending and to stop the cycle of failed adaptation by repeat offenders. When inmates released from confinement, they face a variety of challenges that may hinder their ability to become law-abiding citizens. A key feature to reduce repeat offending is the attention to the social reintegration of ex-inmates into the community and through equipping them with skills to successfully reintegrate and become productive members of society.
Mr Dubeasserts that the program started with 25 inmates but eight dropped out due to several reasons. Most who dropped off cited that the course was too challenging for them since they just did not have basic education having only went as far as grade 7 in formal education. Thus they could not master the basics in computing so they quit. The highest scoring student got 82 percent in the final assessment.
In separate interviews, graduands said they were happy that they are now competitive in the economic transformation agenda as computers are fast becoming a transformation agent in all walks of life across the globe.
The best graduating student, Amos Ncube (20) who was sentenced to two years for unlawful entry and theft said it has been his ambition to learn computers and his vision got fulfilled while in prison.
“Today I stand proud as a graduate, it may not be from a university as most people would want it to be but to me it’s a dream that has come true. The world is gradually changing to a technologically driven society hence to have a course in ICTs is an achievement worth cherishing,” he said.Ncube whose prison term is about to end said he wants to further his studies by suing Computer Aided Art and Graphics.
Another inmate, David Ndlovu (57), said he is a script writer and since he has acquired basic computer skills including using Microsoft word, he is going to be typing his ideas on a computer rather than writing on pieces of paper as he used to do.“When you are not computer literate, your life is hard as you do everything manually. Now it will be easy for me to type a document of my script and I proof-read it there. It’s now different from using pen and paper and having to correct word for word,” he said.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, ZPCS Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Advisory Board member Dr Lucky Mlilo said imparting computer skills to inmates is vital as it makes them fit in the vast technological growing economy where ICTs are slowly becoming a prerequisite in industrialisation and development.Dr Mlilo said his council will continue working with Simphiwe to find ways of improving the program and replicating it to other prisons across the country. “I am reliably informed that the 17 of you shared only 10 desktops which disabled your speed in operations. As an advisory board we feel challenged, we will try and assist with the acquisition of new computers,” he said.
In their vote of thanks, the inmates’ representatives said they have finally realised that prison is not the end of the road in life’s journey.
