Bhopal:
Nine inmates of the Jabalpur Central Jail in Madhya Pradesh have enrolled themselves for an MBA course.
All nine of them have opted for a Master's degree in Human Resources, state Director General (DG) of Prisons, Surendra Singh, told PTI today.
Besides, around 800 inmates in various jails throughout the state were undergoing courses conducted by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), he said, adding that it is a policy to encourage jail inmates to study.
Mr Singh said eight of the nine inmates, who have taken up the MBA course, have been convicted for murder and the other has been convicted for theft, adding that all of them have been enrolled with the distance learning programme of IGNOU.
"IGNOU offers its courses free of cost to inmates in jails all over Madhya Pradesh," he said.
Depending on the period of jail terms served so far, these nine inmates will walk out of the prison between 2013 and 2021, he informed.
Their decision to pursue an MBA course is being seen as an opportunity for prisoners to start life afresh after being released from jail, he said.
Besides, the prisons department offers courses varying from higher secondary to part time job-oriented programmes like machine repairing, cooking, computers and specialised degrees like MBA.
Earlier, three inmates from the Bhopal Central Jail had enrolled for the MBA course, he added.