{"id":100532,"date":"2025-10-27T17:02:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T17:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=100532"},"modified":"2025-10-27T17:02:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T17:02:21","slug":"jackson-university-college-expands-its-education-behind-bars-to-train-more-prison-inmates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=100532","title":{"rendered":"Jackson University College expands its \u2018Education Behind Bars\u2019 to train more prison inmates"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Principal of Jackson University College, Theodosia Jackson, has reaffirmed the institution\u2019s commitment to inclusive education and social transformation through its \u201cEducation Behind Bars\u201d initiative, which provides access to teacher training for inmates in Ghana\u2019s prisons.
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Speaking at the College\u2019s 13th graduation ceremony, she revealed that the programme, which is currently operating at the Manhyia Prisons, targets incarcerated men serving definite prison terms who wish to pursue quality teacher education.
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\u201cThese inmates must be 25 years or older, qualify as mature students per GTEC guidelines, and pass entrance exams in English, Mathematics, and General Knowledge. Alternatively, they can present WASSCE results with credits,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\"Jackson<\/figure>\n

Currently, none of the inmate students has graduated yet. The first cohort, made up of nine inmates, is in its second year of studies.<\/p>\n

They are enrolled in the four-year Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) programme under the \u201cEducation Behind Bars\u201d initiative, which offers them the opportunity to pursue higher education while serving their sentences.<\/p>\n

The Principal further announced plans to expand the initiative.\u00a0
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\u201cIn the next academic year, we shall have a new centre at the Kumasi Central Prisons. Everything is set, so in January they will start their program. This is the institution\u2019s contribution towards the transformation of people behind bars.\u201d
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The socially impactful project forms part of Jackson University College\u2019s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) drive, aimed at using education as a tool for rehabilitation and reintegration. <\/p>\n

\"Jackson<\/figure>\n

This year, 877 students graduated from the college, comprising 629 in Upper Primary Education, 178 in Early Grade Education, and 14 in French Education.
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Mrs. Jackson praised the resilience of students and staff, especially in navigating challenges related to online and distance learning.
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\u201cAs a premium distance learning university college, amidst network challenges in Ghana which we all know, by the grace of Almighty God, we were able to write our exams successfully,\u201d she said.
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Established in 2009, Jackson University College became Ghana\u2019s first private College of Education to run a three-year Diploma in Basic Education (DBE) through distance learning.\u00a0
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The Principal recalled how the institution\u2019s early adoption of online learning was once criticized until the COVID-19 pandemic validated their model.<\/p>\n

\"Jackson<\/figure>\n

\u201cWe were criticized for using online platforms, but when COVID-19 hit, all other schools embraced what we had already been doing. We took the lead, and others followed,\u201d she said proudly.<\/p>\n

Since its establishment, the college has produced over 19,000 graduates working in diverse sectors including teaching, banking, and public service.<\/p>\n

One of the day\u2019s most inspiring moments came from Professor Abigail Gura, Dean of the Faculty of Business Studies at Takoradi Technical University, who returned to school to pursue a Diploma in Basic Education despite holding a Ph.D. in Business and Management.<\/p>\n

She explained that pursuing a Diploma in Basic Education was not merely about earning another qualification, but about deepening her understanding of teaching and setting an example of lifelong learning.<\/p>\n

\u201cEducation has no end and growth is continuous. I believe that to make an impact in my area of specialization, I need to be an expert in the field. From our background as professors, GTEC is saying that if you don\u2019t have a certain kind of certificate, you can\u2019t do certain things. I\u2019m sure one day GTEC will come and say, \u2018Yes, you call yourself a teacher, but where is your professional certificate?\u2019\u201d she quizzed.<\/p>\n

To her, true leadership in academia means being willing to learn at every stage, regardless of one\u2019s rank or achievements.
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Jackson University College continues to position itself as a trailblazer in distance learning and inclusive education. Bridging gaps, transforming lives, and expanding access to higher education for all, even those behind prison walls.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"JacksonThe Principal of Jackson University College, Theodosia Jackson, has reaffirmed the institution\u2019s commitment to inclusive education and social transformation through its \u201cEducation Behind Bars\u201d initiative, which provides access to teacher training for inmates in Ghana\u2019s prisons.\u00a0Speaking at the College\u2019s 13th graduation ceremony, she revealed that the programme, which is currently operating at the Manhyia Prisons, [\u2026]<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":100533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[491,11346,11347,10,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-education-behind-bars","category-jackson-university-college","category-politics","category-popular"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=100532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/100533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=100532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=100532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=100532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}