Educating inmates' children

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The judicial system of Pakistan leaves behind a sorry trail of distress for families of convicts, including financial strain, emotional turmoil and increased hardships for children. With little to no social or governmental support available, families of incarcerated persons find it challenging to provide for their children's education and welfare.

In a bid to actionably address this issue, the Sindh Government has launched an education plan that aims to provide education to children of over 4,600 convicted prisoners. Provincial Minister for Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Sardar Shah insists that just as it is the state's responsibility to punish criminals, it is also the state's duty to ensure that their children have access to education in the wake of their conviction.

Studies show that children with a parent in prison are often at greater risk of discrimination, social exclusion, drug abuse and increased poverty – particularly when the incarcerated person is the household's breadwinner.

Our slow-paced judicial system further complicates this matter as an immense backlog of cases heightens the uncertainty of bail or release, leaving families to fend for themselves. When such situations occur in a region where quality education is already inaccessible, it is rare for families to send their children to school.

Thus the aforementioned initiative – that aims to enrol more than 10,000 children of inmates into government and private schools and universities as per choice, while also offering to microfinance their start-ups – is indeed commendable. Additionally, the plan also involves extending education and vocational training to juvenile inmates.

The educational plan, if executed properly, will encourage learning in a vulnerable segment of the youth. Proper execution entails that children are supported in the post-paperwork process as well. They must be protected from social discrimination, provided relevant resources and offered confidentiality. Then, they have the power to break dismal cycles.