| Sports |
Changing bad attitudes will
improve economy
By JAMES KILA
Teaching prison inmates vocational skills will help them do away
with bad attitudes and eventually become useful citizens.
Technical Vocational Training course coordinator at the
University of Goroka, Edward Wanigasekara said this recently
when receiving twenty pioneer Correctional Services personnel
from around the country to the university’s first ever program -
Diploma in technical teaching.
“If we can reduce 50 per cent of wrong attitude we can increase
investment and improve the economy of PNG,” Mr Wanigasekeara
said.
“Skills development is very vital for human development,
therefore, it will be your duty to transmit the knowledge and
skills you will be learning to the detainees who are serving
their jail-terms,” Mr Wanigaskeara, a Sri Lankan lecturer told
the CS personnel.
“Once the skills are transmitted to the inmates, they will upon
completing their jail-terms return to their respective
communities and become useful citizens,” he added.
Mr Wanigaskeara said he had talked to a lot of prisoners and
found that most turned to crime because they lacked proper
vocational skills to earn a living.
Many of these inmates were from rural areas who had migrated to
urban centres with high hopes of finding employment.
They became disappointed over time because they lacked
sufficient vocational skills and had to resort to lawlessness to
make a living.
Correctional Services Commissioner, Richard Sikani who
officiated at the program launching said the diploma course
marked a milestone in the institution’s history since it was the
first time ever that Correctional Services would have a large
number of participants at a higher learning institute any one
time.
Mr. Sikani said the program would pave the way for the CS to
up-skill and upgrade its human resources.
“Correctional Services has come to realize that although we have
skill artisans and tradesmen, they lack the teaching skills to
impart their knowledge to the detainees,”
He said the diploma in technical teaching training will enable
the CS members to impart their knowledge to detainees undergoing
welfare and rehabilitation programs.
He said the detainees undergoing the rehabilitation programs,
upon release will have a paper from a highly recognized tertiary
institution that would enable them to seek meaningful
employment.
“With this milestone I believe the Correctional Services with
the assistance from UOG will form a partnership that will play
an important role in producing quality human resources who will
contribute to meaningful development of our country,” Mr Sikani
said.
“You are the pioneers of this program and I will expect nothing
but the best from you all,
“You must know that your performance will determine the ongoing
future of this program,”
“You must remember that you are ambassadors of Correctional
Services and our hopes are riding on you for the success of this
training. As discipline force members I will not tolerate any
ill-discipline from you,” Commissioner Sikani said.
Course coordinator, Mr Wanigasekeara said the diploma in
technical teaching program will teach them about good value and
professional skills.
He said besides technical vocational training the participants
would also learn entrepreneurial, cash and financial management.
He said the entrepreneurial management skills would assist CS
institutions to generate funds by selling items made by the
detainees.
He said UNICEF has recently supplied course material which he
would use through the program.
Meanwhile the CS personnel told The National that so far they
have found the course worthwhile.
Mr Sikani acknowledged people behind the scenes that worked to
make the training programme a reality.
These include acting director for public and community relations
at CS headquarter, Richard Mandui, Senior Inspector Yelly Oiyufa
and John Marme of the Bihute Correctional Institution as well as
Mr Wanigasekeara and his team at UOG.
 
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