adminFungai Lupande Mashonaland Central Bureau
The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) here is working on the construction of a primary and secondary school at its Mazowe Prison complex to assist staff members being forced to send their children to schools in Harare.
ZPCS Mashonaland Central public relations officer Principal Correctional Officer (PCO) Fidelis Pemhiwa said the construction of the schools will start next year.
“In the area of our Mazowe Prison, there is only one primary school which is in a farm set-up, he said.
Other than Mazowe High School, there is a secondary school about 14 kilometres away.”
This comes as Mazowe Prison managed to obtain examination centre status.
About 15 inmates managed to write their ZIMSEC Ordinary level examinations at the prison this year.
PCO Pemhiwa said the construction of the schools will also benefit the community and provide inmates with a centre for writing examinations.
He said ZPCS has been pushing hard for productive rehabilitation, but now the focus was also on academic rehabilitation.
“We have education officers who teach interested inmates in their cells after they have completed all their errands and chores,” said PCO Penhiwa.
The next port of call is Mt Darwin Prison, which also encompasses a police station.
Meanwhile, the ZPCS has started working on rehabilitating Bindura Prison, with priority being given to the ventilation of the prison cells.
Mashonaland Central experiences high temperatures, a situation that has forced prison officials to reduce the population of inmates in cells.
“The prison was constructed around 1910,” said PCO Pemhiwa. “We are looking at possible ways to improve ventilation in the prison cells considering that Bindura experiences high temperatures. We demolished an old grass barrack which was used as staff accommodation and replaced it with a five-roomed barrack. We built a visitor waiting room and spruced up the face of the prison.”
Online Reporter