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The Prison Education Service
The aim of the education service is to deliver a high quality, broad, flexible programme of education that helps prisoners cope with their sentence, achieve personal development, prepare for life after release and establish an appetite and capacity for life-long learning. The service seeks to deliver relevant programmes that cater for holistic needs, ensure broad access and high participation, and prioritise those with basic education needs. It promotes the principles of adult and community education and supports a multidisciplinary approach within the prison system.
Education Units which form an integral part of the prisons care and rehabilitative regime are a partnership between the Irish Prison Service and the Department of Education and Science. The employment of teachers, assigned to the Irish Prison Service is managed at a local level by respective Vocational Education Committees, in partnership with the Irish Prison Service. Each Education Unit is staffed by a Head Teacher and a compliment of qualified teachers with varying subject specialities similar to colleges in the community.
Other agencies also contribute significantly to prison education. These include the Open University, the Arts Council and third-level colleges such as the National College of Art and Design and Athlone Institute of Technology.
Each of the education units affords to the prisoner a broad curriculum which is adaptive and reflective of the needs of the clients who are accessing the services. The teaching and learning methodologies used are reflective of best and current practice in the adult education area, placing the educational needs of the learner at the centre of all curriculum planning. To this end, each Education Unit will offer a range of subject options and levels which will afford the learner the opportunity to update existing education levels and where possible to build upon these, thereby facilitating the learner to be equipped with the necessary education and skills base required to function as an effective member of society upon release from prison.
All Education Units guide, plan and encourage those who participate in educational activities to work toward the attainment of educational certification. Course and programmes can be broadly categorised as follows:
• Basic Education, including literacy, numeracy, English as a second language and communications;
• Creative Arts, notably music, sound recording and production, drama, art, craft, stone work, creative writing, film production and photography.
• Technology, including woodwork, woodcarving, metalwork, computer-aided design, information technology and horticulture;
• General Subjects, incorporating history, languages, geography, home economics and English literature;
• Life Skills: personal development, interpersonal skills, anger management, parenting, child care, addiction studies, driver theory, food hygiene, etc.
• Healthy Living, notably physical education, sports, fitness and recreational activities, health education, diet and nutrition.
In order to afford all prisoners the opportunity to participate in education regardless of entry level or prior experience, we offer certification options which are appropriate to the needs of adults. These include FETAC Level 2, 3, 4, and 5, Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate, ECDL, and Open University.
Education Units work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, within the prison to address the many and varying needs of the prison population. Courses and programmes are run in collaboration with library services, health care specialists, Work and Training Units, Probation and Welfare, etc. Pre-release courses are also an important part of the rehabilitative process within prisons and the education team are centrally involved in devising and delivering such programmes.
During 2008 close to half of all prisoners were involved in some education and more than a quarter were intensively involved.
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