Ambitious prisoners desperate to matriculate

BARBERTON – Eleven prisoners Umlalati Learning Centre are unsure whether they will able to achieve their goals of passing their matric exams this year, due to a shortage of teachers.

An inmate who spoke on condition of anonymity, told this newspaper they had been without a siSwati teacher for six months and this worried them as they had to pass their mother language to attain university exemption.

“No one bothers to explain to us what is happening. We even wrote a letter of complaint to the prison’s management, but so far we haven’t received any response,” he said.

“Calling the newspaper was our last hope so that the department could know what is happening here as we also have goals of achieving university degree so that we can be marketable after serving our sentences,” he continued.

“We are passionate about our education and we want to make use of this privilege and the time we spend here,” he said.

When questioning the area commissioner, Mr Marubini Netshivhazwaulu about these allegations, he said, “It is true that they have been without a siSwati and isiZulu teacher for quite some time, but we have already appointed one for both languages.”

According to Netshivhazwaulu, the appointment was made in June and the teacher has already started with his work.

He added that management was determined to provide the assistance needed to make sure that learners made up for lost time.

“We already have plans in place to eradicate the backlog. There are tests to be written every week and the teacher will make sure to educate offenders even during awkward hours,” he continued.

When asked if the centre would obtain good results as it was among the top achievers countrywide in the 2013 results when it boasted a 100 per cent pass rate and a subject performance pass rate of 54,9 per cent, Netshivhazwaulu said,

“It is our wish to do so, although we have to take the problems we had into consideration.”