15 inmates enrolled in Theology course

A TOTAL of 15 prisoners at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm are expected to graduate in 2015 with a Theology degree, the prison superintendent said.

Venacio J. Tesoro during Monday's Kapehan sa Dabaw, said the 15 inmates have enrolled in AB Theology this year.

AB theology is a course that prepares men or women as religious leader like priest, pastors, church leaders, and educators, among others.

Tesoro said the 15 students are full scholars.

He said the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) has offered the same curriculum and is the only course for inmates at the penal farm.

"It is one of the most effective means of rehabilitating these people through social and psychological reformation," Tesoro said.

The 15 inmates are the first batch given the opportunity to continue their tertiary education while serving their sentence.

The educational program inside the penal farm applies only to women and men inmates who are classified as minimum security prisoners. Inmates classified as medium and maximum security prisoners are not allowed to leave their detention cells.

Tesoro said pastors and religious leaders who have served their sentences become effective instruments in sharing their experiences so as to make other people learn from their mistakes.