The New South Wales Government is under fire over plans to sack three quarters of its teaching staff from prisons, including at Kariong’s correctional centre.
The opposition claims the reform is cost cutting exercise.
Full statement from Minister for Corrections David Elliot.
The education reforms will
· More than double the number of inmates completing literacy and numeracy courses to 1840 inmates, and
· Increase the number of inmates doing vocational education and training activities by 20 per cent (3330 per annum to 4000 per annum).
New jobs in gaols will identify and assess inmate education needs. More teaching hours will be delivered; but through an external training organisation and CNSW employed teachers in Intensive Learning Centres.
New clerical roles will not teach inmates. About 70 new gaol based jobs will assess inmates’ educational and learning needs. They will use validated computer based tools to assess need and link this to education programs and other programs targeting offender behaviour.
Qualified staff of external education providers will deliver the majority of education and will be able to respond to changing needs of inmates.
As a relatively small provider, Corrective Services NSW cannot do this. Large education providers can.
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