CS looks to improve prison services

THE Correctional Services is looking at providing alternative education and life skills training for prisoners in the country’s prison.
Commissioner Stephen Pokanis said they were targeting six locations in the country to have Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvet), Flexible, Open and Distance Education (Fode) and vocational school programmes.
Pokanis, who was first appointed as CS commissioner in 2019 for a four-year term that expired last year, said that he was still acting commissioner while waiting for advice from the National Executive Council (NEC).
“So during this time, I hope to establish Tvet, Fode and vocational school systems in our institutions to give inmates and members of the community around our institutions the opportunity for education.
“We want to not just rehabilitate but also help them get a second chance at life.
“So we have already started and have established a Tvet learning centre as the Baisu prison in Western Highlands and we are looking at five other locations which include, Buimo in Morobe, Bomana in the nation’s capital, Hawa in Hela, Kavieng in New Ireland and Kagua in Southern Highlands.
“The Kagua one, we are hoping to make a model CS institution, we are still in negotiations on where we can build that but we are hoping to build the model institution there,” he said.