The Centre for Legal Support and Inmate Rehabilitation (CELSIR), working with VCare for Development Foundation (VCDF), is expanding its education intervention to nine correctional centres across Nigeria, with 500 learners expected to receive support for General Certificate Examination (GCE) registration and preparation.

The initiative marks a broader effort by CELSIR to improve access to quality education for people learning within correctional facilities.

Previously focused on correctional centres in Lagos, the programme will now reach five additional facilities comprising three adult and two juvenile correctional centres.

Through the expanded programme, 500 learners across Nigeria Correctional centres will receive assistance with GCE registration. The support is intended to give participants opportunities to obtain recognised qualifications that can contribute to their reintegration.

Technology will also play a central role in the programme. Each participating centre will be equipped with a laptop, projector, speaker and internet modem to support virtual classrooms and provide learners with improved access to digital education.

The expansion builds on CELSIR’s experience implementing education interventions in correctional settings since 2020. Its Education for Correctional Centres programme has reached more than 1,300 persons and has supported learners preparing for national examinations, including the General Certificate Examination (GCE), Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

CELSIR Executive Director, Joke Aladesanmi, said, “The expansion to nine correctional centres across Nigeria, with 500 learners reflects a shared commitment by CELSIR and VCDF to making education a stronger part of rehabilitation and reintegration.”

She explained, “CELSIR believes that access to education should not be determined by a person’s circumstances. By expanding the programme, the organisation and its partners are creating more opportunities for learners to acquire qualifications, develop their potential and build pathways for life beyond incarceration.”

Aladesanmi added, “The partnership marks a transition from sustaining impact to scaling impact, with education positioned at the core of CELSIR’s vision for rehabilitation and reintegration,”

Explaining the principles guiding the organisation’s rehabilitation work, she said, “CELSIR’s holistic rehabilitation support envelops our beneficiaries, guiding them through a process of renewal and empowerment. Our continuum of care extends seamlessly to post-incarceration life, ensuring that individuals are equipped with the tools and support required to reintegrate successfully.”

National Coordinator of VCDF, Dr. James Odey At VCDF, said at the occasion, “Our mission is to strengthen health systems, provide quality education, improve living standards, among others in pursuit of sustainable development.”

According to him, “It is in our mission to build an inclusive society for comprehensive education and sustainable livelihood interventions that we are partnering CELSIR in its mission to providing access to justice and rehabilitation opportunities for people impacted by the justice system, which spans across access to legal aid, education and other advocacy.

Representatives of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development and the Nigeria Correctional Service attended the event, demonstrating institutional backing for efforts to strengthen education as part of rehabilitation and reintegration.

Those in attendance included Olaore FeyiSayo, Director, Integrated Community Services (ICS), Ministry of Youth and Social Development (MYSD), and the Deputy Controller of Corrections responsible for Custodial and Non-Custodial Services, Nigeria Correctional Service, Kokogho, who represented the Assistant Controller-General (ACG).

Their participation highlighted the importance of cooperation among civil society organisations, government institutions and correctional authorities in expanding meaningful educational opportunities for learners in correctional centres.