Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jul 3: Small children of under-trial prisoners have no option but to live with their mother or father inside the prisons. Sometimes this period can be quite long. As such, most of these children spend their time without understanding the outside world and without any education.

All this is changing. Small children of under-trials in the district prison here begin to get initiated into the world of literacy from July 3 onward. With this, a hope that they can grow up into normal citizens has been kindled.

The teacher of a nearby Anganwady centre has begun to visit the prison to initiate three such children into education. Out of nine under-trial women lodged inside this prison, three have small children who have no one to care for outside the prison. The environment under which children of the same age in the outside world get educated is quite different from this one. This education is being imparted in tune with the Supreme Court directive for providing education to such children.

This education has been introduced in the city for the first time under an initiative undertaken by women and child development department. The Anganwady worker visits the prison to teach the children for an hour each day. Deputy director in the department, Sundar Poojary, stated that there are no exclusive teachers for teaching in the prison and therefore, the department has been deputing an Anganwady teacher for the purpose. Voluntary organizations like Rotary Club and Deeds India have come forward to provide equipment like tailoring machines, Yoga training etc to the women inmates of the prison, he informed.

Mallanagowda Patil, member secretary of Dakshina Kannada District Legal Services Authority, said that people who want to provide toys to such children can contact either the women and child development department or Legal Services Authority. He said that these children cannot be sent to Anganwady centres functioning outside the prisons because of safety concerns.