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| Alan (with his hand raised), excels in prison school which he is allowed to attend fulltime |
Hong Kong’s Correctional Services Department is
helping prisoners transform their lives through its Ethics College, a school
behind bars.
Among those who have benefited from the program is
Alan (not his real name) who recently attained 96 marks out of 100 in his
Mathematics exam at the school.
“I never thought I could make it,” said Alan, who is
serving time for drug trafficking, and who used to fail all his exams while
studying.
Alan is among inmates given the chance to pursue a
one-year, full-time Diploma of Applied Education, instead of working while in
prison.
The aim is to better equip them for their eventual
release, help them encourage positive values and eventually, change their lives
for the better.
After he was detained, Alan initially tried to
self-study but found it impossible given the prison routine, lack of mentors,
and the fact that he left school more than a decade ago.
“I tried to learn English by myself while in custody
before but it was too hard to do so because no one could help me when I did not
understand something,” he said. “I gave up eventually.”
After he became a student at Ethics College student,
Alan made a remarkable improvement in both his intellectual capacity and
attitude, which he attributes to his caring teachers and hard-working fellow
students.
CSD Assistant Officer I Or Siu-ming, who is
responsible for overseeing students’ discipline and performance in the school,
said he was impressed by the big change in Alan.
“I felt really touched by Alan’s positive changes
here, from being a person with low confidence to a better one who would plan
for his future.”
In the last four years of his prison term, Alan
plans to pursue an associate degree so he could boost his chances of pursuing a
well-paying career and repay his parents for their sacrifices.
“When I was young, my parents had very high
expectations of me and wanted me to concentrate on my studies, but I got them
disappointed,” said Alan.
“This time, I will never let them down again. I hope
to better equip myself here and find a good job after I get released.”
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| Bella is all praises for everyone who helps with their studies, like officer Hui |
Another student at Ethics College is Bella (also not
her real name) who is also serving time for drug trafficking.
Bella did not finish Form 5 and feared that her
failure to complete secondary school would hinder her chances of finding a good
job after her release.
But she was glad to have been proven wrong when she
was accepted into the Ethics College.
“When I learnt that I could study again, I was very
happy and took the chance to apply. I could not imagine that I would be finally
admitted to the college.”
Bella said she receives enormous support for her
studies, not just from her regular teachers.
“Apart from classes on school days, there are also
volunteers visiting and tutoring us during the holidays. After class, I can use
a tablet to continue my revision in my dormitory,” she said, adding that the officers who look
after the students are kind and caring.
The department’s Assistant Officer II Hui Ka-yin,
who supervises Bella in the college, praised her for being hard-working and for
helping to create a good learning atmosphere in class, inspiring her fellow
classmates to work hard as well.
“After studying one semester, she grew in confidence
and became a hard-working person who is eager to plan for her future,” said
Hui.
Bella, who expects to be released this year, now has
a clear career goal.
“I have already found my interest here,” she said.
“I plan to further my study in animal-assisted therapy. I want to do a job that
I like in the future.”
Ethics College was launched at the end of
October with a total of 75 students in its first batch.
They comprise 60 male students who are receiving
their education at Pak Sha Wan Correctional Institution, while 15 females attend
classes remotely at Lo Wu Correctional Institution.
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Another beneficiary of prison education is Mario delos Reyes, shown here with the late
Consul General Bernardita Catalla, who witnessed him being awarded a master's degree in 2019 |
(P.S.
Before Ethics College was set up, those in detention were already given an
opportunity to take up various courses. Among them was Mario delos Reyes, who
spent 26 years in Stanley Prison for a murder conspiracy he had always insisted
he was not part of. During his long
incarceration, delos Reyes took up all courses that were on offer, including
a Master’s in Business English awarded
to him a few months before his release in October 2019. He rejoined his family
in Nueva Vizcaya, and passed on less than two years afterwards).
