Rehabilitation: TEVTA to impart skills to 25,000 prisoners

The department will train 6,400 prisoners in 13 prisons in the first phase

LAHORE: The Technical Education and Vocational Authority (TEVTA) will train 25,000 prisoners in prisons across the Punjab in 15 vocational short courses. In the first phase, TEVTA will train 6,400 prisoners at 13 jails over a year’s time. 

This was announced by TEVTA Chairperson Irfan Qaiser Sheikh in a meeting at the TEVTA Secretariat on Friday. Prisons Inspector General Mian Farooq Nazeer, TEVTA Chief Operating Officer Jawad Ahmed Qureshi, Prisons DIG Naveed Rauf, General Managers Hamid Ghani Anjum, Azhar Iqbal Shad and Abdul Qayyum among other officers were also present on the occasion.

Sheikh said training would be offered to men, women and juvenile prisoners.  The courses include home appliances repair, electrician training, wood work/carpentry, beautician training, domestic tailoring, welding, plumbing, motor cycle mechanical repair, tractor mechanical repair, machine embroidery, computer applications, motor winding, fashion designing, hand embroidery, and industrial stitching.



The chairperson said the idea was to make them economically productive citizens of the society.  He said the decision had been taken under instructions from Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

IGP Nazeer discussed a possible strategy to start vocational training courses in prisons without delay. The two departments have agreed upon to sign an MoU to finalise modalities on the short courses. He said the Prison Department would establish labs in respective jails with help from the TEVTA.  He said after receiving the training, the prisoners will be able to earn a livelihood for themselves and their families on their release.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2015.