India: 404 prisoners in Odisha pass the test

Many consider going to jail as the end of the road for them, but prison authorities in Odisha do not share this view. As many as 404 convicts and undertrials lodged in the State’s different jails have successfully passed various examinations in the past five years.

Matric results

As the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, is scheduled to announce its annual matriculation results on April 26, prison authorities are looking forward with hope that the successful list will contain the names of a few convicts and undertrials.

While 194 prisoners registered with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) have passed various examinations, as many as 187 jail inmates enrolled with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) have also come out successful. At the same time, 23 students with BSE, Odisha, have passed their matriculation examinations. In 2015, the number of prison inmates achieving success in different examinations crossed 100.

“Special attention has been paid to prisoners interested in pursuing studies with the BSE and Odisha universities and through distance education under IGNOU and NIOS. This has been made possible due to our emphasis on correctional services,” Arun Kumar Ray, Additional Director General of Police (Prisons), told The Hindu on Monday.

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