Eighteen persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the Legazpi City Jail completed basic education through the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Alternative Learning System (ALS) during the facility’s 4th ALS Graduation and Completion Rites on Thursday, Aug. 6.
The graduates included four male PDLs who completed elementary education and 14 who completed junior high school (JHS), comprising 11 males and three females.
The ceremony was led by Legazpi City Jail Warden Jail Superintendent Tedler K. Samonte, together with Jail Inspector Anita T. Andueza, Welfare and Development officers, DepEd representatives, and family members of the PDL graduates and completers.
The activity underscored the importance of continuing education as part of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s (BJMP) rehabilitation programs for PDLs.
Through the ALS, PDLs who were unable to complete their formal education are given an opportunity to continue learning while serving their sentence and prepare for their eventual reintegration into their families and communities.
The BJMP said the achievement of the PDL learners demonstrates that access to education can continue despite the limitations of the jail environment.
It added that the graduates’ and completers’ accomplishment serves as an inspiration for other PDLs to pursue education and use learning as a means to improve themselves and prepare for a better future.
The ALS is a parallel learning system implemented by DepEd that provides a viable alternative to the existing formal education system. It caters to learners who cannot access or complete basic education through conventional schooling.
The program is among the interventions being implemented in correctional facilities to support the holistic development, rehabilitation and reintegration of PDLs.
The Legazpi City Jail, through its Welfare and Development Office and in coordination with DepEd, continues to provide educational opportunities to PDLs as part of efforts to promote their development and readiness for eventual return to their communities.
Source: Press Release- PIA Bicol Region