•Target 500 learners for GCE

By Precious Enaike

The Centre for Legal Support and Inmate Rehabilitation (CELSIR), in partnership with VCare for Development Foundation (VCDF), is expanding its education programme to nine correctional centres across Nigeria, with 500 learners set to receive support for registration and preparation for the General Certificate Examination (GCE).

The expansion represents a significant step in CELSIR’s efforts to make quality education accessible to learners in correctional centres.

Under the new partnership, the programme will extend beyond Lagos correctional centres where CELSIR has traditionally provided education support, reaching five additional correctional centres, three adult and two juvenile centres.

Beyond this expansion 500 learners across Nigeria Correctional centers will be supported with GCE registration, creating opportunities for them to obtain recognised qualifications for a better reintegration.

Leveraging technology to deliver quality educational, each center is presented with a laptop, a projector, a speaker and an internet modem, to facilitate virtual classrooms and improved access to digital learning.

The scale-up builds on CELSIR’s experience delivering education interventions in correctional settings since 2020. Over the years, the organisation’s Education for Correctional Centres programme has impacted more than 1,300 persons, while supporting learners with National examinations like the General Certificate Examination (GCE) , Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

Executive Director of CELSIR, Joke Aladesanmi said at the occasion, “The expansion to nine correctional centres across Nigeria, with 500 learners reflects a shared commitment by CELSIR and VCDF to making education a stronger part of rehabilitation and reintegration.”

Aladesanmi explained, “CELSIR believes that access to education should not be determined by a person’s circumstances. By expanding the programme, the organisation and its partners are creating more opportunities for learners to acquire qualifications, develop their potential and build pathways for life beyond incarceration.”

“The partnership marks a transition from sustaining impact to scaling impact, with education positioned at the core of CELSIR’s vision for rehabilitation and reintegration,” she said.

Explaining its guiding principles, Aladesanmi said, “CELSIR’s holistic rehabilitation support envelops our beneficiaries, guiding them through a process of renewal and empowerment. Our continuum of care extends seamlessly to post-incarceration life, ensuring that individuals are equipped with the tools and support required to reintegrate successfully.”

National Coordinator of VCDF, Dr. James Odey At VCDF, said at the occasion, “Our mission is to strengthen health systems, provide quality education, improve living standards, among others in pursuit of sustainable development.”

According to him, “It is in our mission to build an inclusive society for comprehensive education and sustainable livelihood interventions that we are partnering CELSIR in its mission to providing access to justice and rehabilitation opportunities for people impacted by the justice system, which spans across access to legal aid, education and other advocacy.

The event was attended by key representatives from the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development and the Nigeria Correctional Service, reflecting institutional support for strengthening education as part of rehabilitation and reintegration.

Among those present were Olaore FeyiSayo, Director, Integrated Community Services (ICS), Ministry of Youth and Social Development (MYSD), and the Deputy Controller of Corrections in charge of Custodial and Non-Custodial Services, Nigeria Correctional Service, Kokogho, representing the Assistant Controller-General (ACG).

Their presence reinforced the importance of collaboration between civil society, government and correctional institutions in creating meaningful educational opportunities for learners within correctional centres.