PRAYAGRAJ: At a time when around 60,000 students of Uttar Pradesh Rajarshi Tandon Open University (UPRTOU) would be appearing for the final exams of their respective degree, certificate or diploma courses in August, there would be 41 inmates of Naini Central Jail too who would be taking their exams.
To add to this, the open university is all set to spread its horizon for inmates of 13 other jails of the state who would soon be able to take admission in different degree, certificate or diploma courses, run by the lone open university of the state.
The only open university of the state is already providing admission to inmates of Naini central jail in its courses.
Following the encouraging results, now the university has received a request from 13 more jails of the state for opening a study centre at the respective jails so that inmates of the jail concerned can also pursue higher learning and shape their future.
“The university had received a request from Central and District Prisons Agra, Central Jail Varanasi, District/Division Jail Jhansi, District/Division Jail Azamgarh, District Prison Gautam Budh Nagar, District Prison Dasna Ghaziabad, District Jail Gorakhpur, District Prison Ayodhya, Central Jail Bareilly and Bareilly II, District Prison Meerut and District prison Fatehpur,” informed the vice-chancellor of UPRTOU, Prof Seema Singh.
Barring Fatehpur, the university has already opened the study centre at all the above-mentioned jails and soon the study centre at the jail at Fatehpur would be opened, she added.
“The jail inmates of the above-mentioned jails can take admission in any of the courses as per their eligibility in the current session, the last date for which is June 30”, said Singh.
It was in the year 2019 when UPRTOU had decided to provide the opportunity to pursue higher education to prisoners serving sentences for serious crimes in Naini Central Jail.
They were given a 75 per cent exemption in fee too.
After seeing the tendency of the prisoners towards studies, the university, while amending the decision, decided to give completely free education to the prisoners lodged in the jails of the entire state.
Following the proposals that have come to the university to provide higher education to the prisoners of different jails, we have started the process and they can take admission in the new academic session, said the VC.
Course material will also be made available to the prisoners at the respective jails after admission is confirmed, she added.