The Director of the Correctional Service Special Study Centre of the National Open University of Nigeria, Francis Enobore, has called on sub-national governments and well-meaning Nigerians to support the free education policy of the NOUN for prisoners to enhance sustainable reintegration upon discharge.
Enobore made this call during a courtesy visit to the Controller-General of Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa, on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to a statement signed by the NCoS Spokesperson, Abubakar Umar, the Director stated that the cardinal objective of NOUN is to bring quality education to the doorstep of every Nigerian, allowing them to learn at their convenience and pace.
This, he observed, is critical to upscaling the much-needed human capacity development for societal growth.
Enobore stated that NOUN considered the peculiar circumstances of people behind bars and the limitations in accessing social services; hence, the university graciously granted free tuition to inmates to enable them to benefit from the unique learning opportunity provided by the institution.
He noted that out of the 28,740 students who graduated recently from the university, 65 were inmates, including 7 who had postgraduate degrees.
The Director appealed to state chief executives and well-meaning Nigerians, including corporate bodies, to support NOUN initiatives, which have helped many indigent prisoners access education, even up to the doctorate level, free of charge.
