Undertrials sit for school certificate exams in Odisha

Age is not deterring their spirit to appear in high school certificate examination beginning tomorrow in Odisha though they are aged over 30 years and lodged in jail for several years.
At least three of the seven persons, who are going to appear the examination in the sub-centre, set up at Circle jail here have crossed 30 years of age.
Except one from the Central Home for Women, all other six metric candidates are undertrial prisoners lodged in the jail for last some years for various heinous crimes including murder. One of them also jailed for alleged involvement in Maoist activities, sources said.

They will appear the examination under regular correspondence course, S B Tripathy, deputy director of BSE's regional office, Berhampur. "We have been made arrangements for the exam inside the jail," said a jail officer.
While one of the candidates age was crossed over 38 years, others were between 19 and 35 years. All these candidates were school drop-outs before they came the jail. "They were interested to appear the matriculation examination. We have arranged all necessary facilities for their reading inside the jail," said jailor RN Roul.
"From course fees to free coaching - we have arranged everything for them. While the tutors from a private coaching centre impart free coaching, the jail inmates who have completed their post-graduate courses also teach them," said jail teacher Bhaskar Behera.

Superintendent of the nearby examination Center will be the centre superintendent of the circle jail. Questions and answer papers will reach the jail centre before commencement of the examination every day, sources said. The Board of Secondary Education (BSE) has been set up the examination centre at Berhampur circle jail since 2007.
As many as 52 inmates in the jail and juvenile offenders of the government-run observation home passed the HSC examination in the jail center since 2007, said the teacher in the jail.
Besides BSE, the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) also set up the examination centre in the circle jail Berhampur in the last three years. The NIOS was opened the first study centre in the circle jail Berhampur in the state in 2010.