TWENTY inmates whose ages range from 20 to 60 years old have availed of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s (BJMP) “Guardia Ko, Teacher Ko” program in Zamboanga City, a BJMP official said.
Superintendent Ester Pepito, Zamboanga City Reformatory Center (ZCRC) warden, said the educational learning program is the first of its kind introduced by the BJMP in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd).
Pepito said the program is in line with DepEd’s Alternative Learning System (ALS), which allows out-of-school youth to avail of the non-formal education program to accelerate them into going to college level.
Pepito said the first batch of 20 inmates is set to complete their eight-month non-formal education in October of this year.
More ZCRC inmates are scheduled to undergo the ALS program after the first batch would complete the eight-month course, Pepito said.
She said the inmates’ teacher is a Jail Officer 2, who is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Education, who using DepEd’s module. (Bong Garcia)