74 inmates have chosen to pursue their higher education as compared to 41 last year, thus signalling a two-fold increase in lifers with educational ambitions Education seems to be the buzzword in the state and even prisoners, most of whom are serving life sentences, have begun investing time and effort in the pursuit of higher education. While last year alone 41 inmates registered with the Karnataka State Open University, this year that number is close to double with 74 inmates enrolling for various courses offered by the university, signalling a two-fold increase in lifers with educational ambitions. <img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/mar/ground.jpg" border="5" /> Media Boom: Although the MBA course is most popular with the inmates, a prisoner is doing diploma in journalism. Representation pic Rather interestingly, of those enrolled this year, only five per cent are serving sentences between eight to 10 years. Clearly those with shorter 'stays' don't seem to be as inclined to hit the books. With convicts aged 30 to 50-years applying for courses, the prison's contribution to the University has risen to Rs 2.69 lakh from last year's Rs 1.30 lakh. S Manjunath, research assistant at prisons (HQ), said, "These prisoners are from Karnataka and they're more comfortable with the state syllabus, which is in Kannada. They found the English syllabus quite difficult." Understandably, the convicts are studying in Kannada despite opting for post-graduate courses in arts, commerce and communication. The MBA course has proved popular with inmates as well, but the surprise of the lot was one prisoner who is pursuing a diploma in journalism. Manjunath added, "They don't want to waste time and we encourage those who are truly interested in studying. It serves as a reformative measure, even for lifers." V S Raja, DIG Prisons (HQ), said, "They seem to be quite focused and study in their leisure hours, both during the day and in the evening." For people whom the law has thrown the book at, it seems like hitting the books might well make their time, better spent.

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74 inmates have chosen to pursue their higher education as compared to 41 last year, thus signalling a two-fold increase in lifers with educational ambitions

Jailbirds turn bookworms

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