Malaysia- - Correctional Centre To Improve Prisoners' Academic Achievements To Be Ready Mid-Year

MELAKA (Malaysia), March 7 (Bernama) -- The Prisons Department's correctional centre in Puncak Alam, Selangor state, to help improve academic achievement among inmates is expected to be ready by mid-year. Deputy Director-General of Prisons (Safety and Corrections) Hassan Sakimon said the centre is for inmates who want to pursue higher studies. "The Prisons Department is in collaboration with Open University Malaysia (OUM), University Technology Mara and University Kuala Lumpur involving Bachelor degrees, Master degrees and PhDs using the long-distance concept of learning. "The centre is still under construction," he told reproters after delivering Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM-Malaysian Certificate Education) result slips to Henry Gurney School students here, Friday. Henry Gurney School housed juvenile prisoners. He said the department targeted between 100 to 150 inmates to further their studies when the centre started operations. Hassan said at present, 37 inmates of Kajang Prison were pursuing long-distance studies with OUM, 16 at Diploma level, 15 studying Business Management for bachelor degrees and six inmates for masters degrees. Two students of the school students scored outstanding results in the 2014 SPM examination. One of them, Arif (only first names allowed), scored 8As and 1B and the other, Azwan scored 8As and 1D. Both, aged 21, were the best students at the school. When met by reporters, Arif said he was grateful that he had the opportunity to further his study at the institution. "I hade no interest in learning before I was placed in this institution. While studying here, I was fully focused because i want to continue my studies at the university level," said Arif who aspires to work in the oil and gas industry. Arif said he was placed in the Henry Gurney School for his involvement in motorcycle theft. As for Azwan, who wants to be a policeman, he is determined to become a better person for his family, especially for his mother. "I want to redeem myself. I stopped schooling when I was in Form 4. I was caught selling metamphetamine until I was arrested and was placed here," he said. -- BERNAMA