Can education help transform criminals into productive citizens? We certainly hope so.
“Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista approved last week an ordinance that institutionalizes the Alternative Learning System (ALS) program of the Department of Education in detention facilities in the city,’ reports Janvic Mateo in The Philippine Star.
Authored by fifth district councilor Aly Medalla, the ordinance pushes “a parallel learning system that serves as a viable alternative to the existing formal education.” It is intended to “curb the current recidivism rate or the rate of the habitual relapse into crime.”
The report cited a study that said “nearly seven in 10 people who were formerly imprisoned will commit a new crime, with half of them predicted to return to prison within three years.”
The report indicated that the ordinance “allows the division of city schools to conduct inspections of the detention facilities to ensure that adequate facilities are made available for the program.”
Photo from MorgueFile
