TWO inmates and a correctional officer from Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre are the latest scholarship recipients to have completed an Associate of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) through an ongoing partnership with the university, Government and Stand Up for Jamaica.

The three successful scholars, who on Sunday officially graduated from the programme, earned their degrees through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the Ministry of National Security through the Department of Correctional Services, Stand Up for Jamaica, and UCC in January 2020.

Under the MOU, the university provides full-tuition scholarships valued at more than $600,000 to the beneficiaries for the two-year programme.

Executive director of SUFJ Carla Gullotta, in expressing “eternal gratitude” to UCC for its continued support, described the university’s effort as “revolutionary”, as she noted that it is the first university to offer inmates an opportunity to pursue higher education.

“So it is a huge commitment from that side and from my side, it is the confirmation that rehabilitation is a key instrument because our students are doing very well. They pass their exams while they study in an environment which is not conducive. It is difficult to study in prison.

“SUFJ has been investing significant funds into the programme to ensure that the beneficiaries have access to the necessary resources, including books and computer laboratories with the help of donors such as Sandals Foundation Jamaica and the European Union,” said Gullotta.

“Rehabilitation works, I would love to recommend civil society to take note that a second chance is possible and that the stigma which is following them once they leave the institution is a serious obstacle for them to get a qualified job,” added Gullotta.

Noting that the recipients are extremely qualified, Gullotta stressed that they deserve an opportunity to show that they have made striking changes since their incarceration.

Dean of the School of Business, Entrepreneurship and Management at UCC Sonia Davidson said the inmates, and correctional officers, who participated in the programmes have been very impressive.

“They are diligent, all the lecturers tell you that these students don’t play, they are prepared for class, they do their work, they do their assignments and all of them have ended up with a GPA [grade point average] of over 3.5,” said Davison.

She noted that all the recipients had to meet the requirement of five Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects including mathematics and English and that some of them have since gone on to pursue their bachelor’s degree.

According to Davidson, six inmates and one correctional officer from the first cohort are now slated to complete their bachelor’s degree in December.

“I think this programme has done very well and SUFJ will tell you that some of them have been released from the institution but they still completed the programme,” added Davison.

She said the university welcomes any support that corporate Jamaica can offer to make sure that the programme remains a success.

“As I’ve said, each of them is over $600,000 for the programme, but it is not only just the tuition, they need books, they need all the supplies to go with it, and the labs at the correctional facilities need upgraded computers because they have to do it online, so all of that is important for the programme to be successful and for them to get through, so any help is needed,” Davidson said.