KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka has emphasized that prisoners writing their matric exams are being given a valuable opportunity to transform their lives. Speaking to inmates on Friday morning, Hlomuka urged them to make the most of the chance for change, saying, “You still have another opportunity to change your life.”
Hlomuka visited the Isuthubeni School, located inside the Westville Maximum Security Prison, to monitor the progress of candidates during their final week of matric exams. The school, which was established in 1996, is one of four schools operating within KZN’s correctional facilities and is known as the top-performing institution in the region.
Station Commissioner for Westville Correctional Services, Mnikelwa Nxele, highlighted the importance of continued government collaboration to support rehabilitation efforts. “The founding fathers and the leadership of this country decreed that as a department, we should work in partnership to ensure rehabilitation — which is the core mandate of correctional services,” Nxele said. “Education is one of those key elements of rehabilitation.”
The initiative underscores the role of education in providing inmates with a path to reintegrate into society and improve their prospects for the future.