• 173 Inmates across South Africa’s prisons are preparing themselves to write their 2024 matric exams come 21st October.
• Inmates at the Johannesburg Correctional Services this year benefitted from Intelsat’s satellite technology for digital education.
• Research shows education is important for the rehabilitation of prison inmates.

With just 17 days before the National Senior Certificate exams for matric learners across South Africa begin, inmates at South Africa’s prisons also readying themselves to take part in the exams, and historically, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has been very successful in producing passing matrics at its prisons.

According to a statement from the DCS, a total of 173 inmates will sit for the 2024 matric exams from 21st October 2024 to 27th November 2024, which is a tiny portion of the more than 150 000 prisoners incarcerated in South African prisons.

But of the 173 inmates sitting, the department says they are well prepared for the challenge, continuing their education through 18 different schools installed at prisons around the country.

It said it was, “pleased with the level of preparedness, as inmates have completed the academic syllabus on time and have undergone various assessments throughout the year. Educators from the department’s 18 schools remain optimistic, having made significant efforts to ensure that all candidates are thoroughly prepared.”

Indeed, together with the Department of Basic Education (DBE), the DCS says it managed a pass rate of 93 percent overall pass rate in 2023, higher than the national average of 83 percent. Nine of the schools at its prisons scored a 100 percent rate last year.

Additionally, the department says that its inmates have a spotless exam record, recording zero cheating incidents at prisons around the country. It seems the inmates who want to learn are taking it seriously.

DCS says that these outcomes are due to creating a good learning environment within these correctional centres, as well as the embracing of new educational technologies.

In September, DCS partnered with Intelsat and Stellenbosch University to introduce the Intelsat Telematics System to inmates at the Johannesburg Correctional Services, offering inmates and educators access to digital study materials across prisons and correctional centres in the city which are some of the most populated in the country.

The university said that the satellite network works by broadcasting “a wide range of high school subjects directly to correctional facilities across the country. This content is tailored to meet the specific needs of the students and is aligned with the national curriculum, ensuring that they receive a comprehensive education that is both engaging and accessible.”

Educational achievement is important for the rehabilitation of inmates, not just in South Africa, but the world over.

Non-profit research institute RAND Corporation showed in a 2016 report that American inmates at prisons across the country who participate in any type of educational program are 43 percent less likely to return to prison once they are released.

Other research details that prisons that have tertiary educational programs show less violent behaviour among inmates and prison staff, as well as lead to more positive outcomes for former inmates once they do leave prison.

Failing to provide educational opportunities is a failure of a country’s criminal justice system, and while 173 inmates will write matric this year, that means that only 0.12 percent of the total incarcerated community of the country is involved in the NSC programme.

While not all inmates require writing matric, there are surely more than 173 inmates in the entire country who should be finishing their basic education when over 22 million South Africans have not completed their matric.

[Image – Photo by Tyler Rutherford on Unsplash]