BARBERTON – A local inmate, Abdullah Elijah Simelane (52) was not only the oldest of the 235 inmates countrywide who wrote their matric last year, but he also passed with flying colours.
Simelane is serving a 23-year jail term for rape at Barberton Department of Correctional Services (DCS) Maximum Correctional Centre.
He was sentenced in 2015. His school, Vuselela Learning Centre, achieved a 92,3 per cent pass rate. A total of 13 inmates wrote their matric last year, with only one failing.
Umlalati Learning Centre, which catered to juvenile inmates, achieved a pass rate of 90 per cent. Ten learners sat for their examinations, nine of whom passed.
Simelane said he hopes having achieved his matric will open doors for him.
The father of two said being incarcerated has given him time to see things differently and realise the value of education.
“If I had an opportunity to study back then, I don’t think I would have committed this crime. I dropped out of school as a teenager, a choice that was out of my hands. Things were really tough for me. My family could not afford to pay for my school fees and other things I needed and I saw dropping out as the only option,” he said.
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Simelane said he hopes to get funding so that he can continue furthering his education. His dream is to enrol for a degree in political science.
Inmates serving in South African correctional facilities countrywide scored a 77,3 per cent matric pass rate for the 2018 academic year, which is two per cent lower than the national average. The result is also an increase on last year’s 76,7 per cent.
“My results are good, but I expected to do much better than this. I would not have done it without the support of the department. The officials encourage us to study so that we can come out of prison as better people,” Simelane said.
He achieved 74 per cent in siSwati home language, English first additional language (73), life orientation (73), mathematical literacy (52), business studies (75), geography (67) and tourism (72).
Mesiah Hlungwani, DCS spokesman, said the department works with the Department of Basic Education to offer extra classes and strives to create the best suitable environment for learning and teaching for inmates.
In a press statement, the minister of justice and correctional services, Michael Masutha said education is a critical component of the rehabilitation measures of any correctional system.
“It has also been proven that inmates who participate in educational programmes see the future differently, as they develop a more positive outlook. The DCS will continue to do the best it can to ensure that as many inmates as possible are able to access education to enable them to lead lives as productive and socially responsible members of their communities upon their release,” Masutha said.
