The Nigerian Correctional Service has registered more than 10,000 inmates for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and the National Examinations Council exams over the last five years, according to NCoS spokesperson, Umar Abubakar.
According to The PUNCH, Abubakar highlighted the significant strides the correctional service has made in providing educational opportunities to inmates, with over 2,000 inmates enrolling annually for these crucial examinations.
“The enrolment numbers have been consistently increasing each year, demonstrating both the success and growing acceptance of our educational programmes among the inmate population,” Abubakar remarked.
“In the past five years, we have registered a total of 10,252 inmates for WAEC and NECO exams across various correctional facilities nationwide.”
Beyond secondary education, the NCoS has also established special centres for the National Open University of Nigeria within correctional facilities, enabling inmates to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
However, Abubakar acknowledged the challenges the NCoS faces in delivering these educational services, noting that there is no dedicated budget for registering inmates for external exams.
The service relies heavily on donations from philanthropists and organizations to provide educational materials and cover registration fees.
“Providing educational programmes for inmates is capital intensive,” he explained. “Given the number of custodial centres across the country, we must ensure even the most basic educational needs, such as pencils, exercise books, and other materials, are met.
Unfortunately, we lack a specific budget for registering inmates for external exams, so we depend on the goodwill of philanthropists and other well-meaning individuals and organizations.”
Abubakar urged examination bodies like NECO, WAEC, and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to consider offering exam fee waivers for inmates, similar to the support provided by NOUN.
“Such waivers would significantly aid our efforts to reform, rehabilitate, and resettle these individuals,” he said.
He also touched on the psychological challenges inmates face, which often hinder their ability to engage fully in academic activities.
“Many inmates struggle with the emotional and psychological burdens associated with their crimes and the conditions of incarceration, making it difficult to focus on education,” Abubakar noted.
In response to these challenges, the NCoS is increasingly turning to digital learning platforms as part of an evolving e-corrections system, aimed at making education more accessible to inmates through distance learning programs.