Motivating Prisoners Towards Education – A Case Study of Efforts Made in Nagpur, India

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Special Issue 2025 of Apprendre + Agir

Sivaswaroop Pathaneni

Abstract

Most Prisoners are dragging their days with a sense of grief or regret. To motivate them towards education, thorough planning and various means are required, within the rules and regulations of the Prison Administration. The author made efforts over a decade at Nagpur Central Prison to offer courses from the Indira Gandhi National Open University. This paper describes these efforts, which led to a cumulative enrolment of over 1000 prisoners.

Keywords: Prisoners, Motivation, Education, Nagpur, India

Introduction

Mahatma Gandhi once said: “All criminals should be treated as patients and the jails should be hospitals admitting this class of patients for treatment and cure. No one commits crime for the fun of it. It is a sign of a diseased mind. The causes of a particular disease should be investigated and removed […] the outlook of the jail staff should be that of physicians and nurses in a hospital” (Shriman, 1968). With his words, Mahatma Gandhi reflected the old Indian tradition of treating prisoners.

The Indian prison system has been in existence for approximately 4000 years. Incarceration was the most moderate kind of punishment; other serious punishments included branding, mutilation, death, etc. (Meena, 2021: 299). Kautilya wrote the Arthashastra in the 2nd Century BC, which provides excellent details of traditional jail management (Shamasastry, 1915). People in need, such as those experiencing hunger, disease, or extreme poverty, were granted leniency when determining their punishment (Sharma, 2024), and imprisonment was not regarded as a form of punishment. Long-term confinement was considered a way to “improve” criminals by giving opportunity for self-reflection and repentance.

Imprisonment as a form of punishment came with the British in the 18th Century (Meena, 2021: 301). Only recently has the idea of retribution been replaced by the notion of rehabilitation, and for the rehabilitation of prisoners, education is an important factor. As opposed to the old idea of isolating offenders from the outside world, better connections between prisoners and society are now prioritized. However, rules, regulations and discipline are the hallmark of a prison; prisoners are bound by rigid administrative and four-walled structures. In such environment, innovative ways to motivate prisoners towards education and social rehabilitation are needed. This paper presents some of such innovative activities, carried out at Nagpur Central Prison, in India. It also aims to explain various academic activities undertaken to improve prisoners’ relationships with the outside world.

Background

Today, 11 million people are in the world’s prisons, and the number increases every year. Over the last 20 years, there has been a 30% increase in women prisoners and a 22% increase in male prisoners around the globe (Berglund et al., 2025: 2). In India, there were 573,220 prisoners in 1,330 prisons by the end of 2022. Among them, 23,772 were women and 97 were transgender. Male prisons are usually overcrowded and only 60.1% of women’s prisons were occupied (Prison Statistics of India, 2022: 12).

A person’s incarceration comes at a significant cost to society. For instance, Jeanne Hirschberger (2020) reported that the cost of imprisonment in USA amounted to 182 billion US Dollars. The Indian Prison System was allocated 87.25 billion Indian rupees for the year 2022-23, which was 14.5% higher than the previous year’s budget (Prison Statistics of India, 2022: 267). Considering these costs, a reduction in recidivism and reincarceration can bring both economic and social or humanitarian benefits to a nation. Research shows that educating prisoners reduces recidivism. Wilson et al. (2000) notably reported that education programme participants reoffend at a lower rate than non-participants. Berglund and colleagues also showed (2025) that education in prison reduces social stigma and self-stigma. It promotes social change, as well as increased opportunities for social benefits, self-determination, self-control, and self-esteem (Berglund et al., 2025: 7).

However, education is a voluntary activity, which means students have to be willing to educate themselves. Education is also about inclusion. Imprisonment, on the other hand, comes with exclusion: from family, friends, community, and society. Such exclusion results in prisoners leading a dull life, with a sense of grief and/or regret. In that context, we cannot expect prisoners to feel included easily. We cannot expect them to undertake the voluntary action to educate themselves and thrive in education without difficulties. A series of activities should be put in place to motivate them and help them through their educational journey.

This paper outlines some activities carried out by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Nagpur Regional Centre at Nagpur Central Prison, which led to a cumulative enrolment of more than one thousand prisoners in various programmes. Among its recommendations for education in prison, UNESCO (2021) stated that a holistic curriculum is needed in order to meet the social, physical and cultural needs of prisoners, including creative and cultural activities (p. 90). To navigate the dichotomy between inclusive education and exclusive prison, a space must be created in which prisoners can engage in learning. Nagpur Central Prison created such spaces through various academic and creative activities. Encouraging prisoners to participate in various activities, like any other college student, can break the feelings of social isolation and the fear of being labelled as ex-convicts upon release that prisoners often experience (UNESCO, 2021: 9).

In India, universities and colleges offer various competitions (quiz competitions, debate competitions, essay writing competitions) on National Science Day, Constitution Day, etc. Such competitions are now also held for student prisoners. Some competitions are even held jointly for both civil students and student prisoners, like essays on a common theme, which are invited from both groups and undergo the same evaluation. As we will see in further detail, these activities provide structure and motivation for prisoners and help them go further in their education.

IGNOU and the Nagpur Central Prison

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is a National University established by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1985. Today, it is the largest open university in the world, with more than three million learners across the globe and the highest accreditation (A++) by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). To provide effective and quality education through open and distance learning to its wide variety of students across the country, IGNOU has a three-tier structure: headquarters (HQ) in New Delhi, 57 Regional Centres (RC) in major cities across the country, and 2,257 Learner Support Centres (LSC) in cities, towns, and villages. IGNOU also has 25 overseas centres.

The admission process is online, and as per student choice, self-instruction study material is sent by post to the student’s home or digital study material is made available. Counselling sessions are held at LSCs, and students also submit home assignments at their LSC. Final examinations take place at selected exam centres at the end of each semester (June and December). A student will get flexible time to complete the registered course.  For example, a one-year diploma can be completed in 4 years, etc. At any point in their studies, if a student moves to another location, their official study centre can also be changed to the one in that location, so the student can continue their studies without any interruption.

Nagpur Regional Centre (NRC) is one of the 57 regional centres. It is located in Nagpur, in central India, and caters to 14 districts of the Maharashtra State. NRC focuses on “reaching the unreached sections” of society such as forest areas like Gadchiroli District, to spread the message of Higher Education through distance learning. It also appeals to female sex workers, transgender individuals, rural youths, and prisoners. Prisoners are one of the most forsaken groups of society. According to Prison Statistics of India, 65.4% of prisoners were either illiterate or below tenth-grade level of literacy in 2022 (p. 61). Therefore, special efforts are made by the NRC to enrol prisoners in educational programs.

A Special Study Centre (SSC) was established by IGNOU in Nagpur Central Prison in 2010. Since then, various activities were conducted to motivate prisoners to study through IGNOU. IGNOU offers courses to prisoners through distance learning and the SSC provides prisoners access to university services. However, these services only become useful if prisoners show interest in studying and if they are motivated to educate themselves. Prison is not an environment that motivates. Therefore, prisoners need activities not usually offered in an incarcerated setting.

IGNOU’s innovative activities

To fulfil this need and motivate prisoners, IGNOU put forth 18 innovative activities, programs, and/or policies. They are briefly introduced in this section.

Free Education

IGNOU offers free education to all prisoners across India. It includes registration, admission, examination, and convocation fees. This social gesture aims to motivate prisoners to study and has had great success. In 2019, a total of 20,219 prisoners enrolled in IGNOU throughout the country (Singh, 2025: 57).

Awareness Meetings

Prisoners need to be made aware that they can study within jail premises. With the cooperation of prison administration, awareness meetings under the name GYAN GANGA are conducted regularly, especially shortly before admissions. The jail authorities then inform prisoners that IGNOU officials will be coming, and whoever is interested in learning about IGNOU can attend the meetings. On the day of a meeting, prisoners assemble in the Shiksha Bhavan (Education Building), where we tell them that their free time in prison can be used effectively and constructively for their future. They can study within prison and the material will be provided to them. We would also tell them that IGNOU provides free education for prisoners, so they do not need to worry about fees. Exams will also be held in the prison itself. Then, we give details of the various courses offered by IGNOU and explain why we cannot offer courses with a practical component. They are informed that labs are available in local colleges or universities, but prisoners are seldom allowed outside prison, which is why they cannot access these courses. They can choose theory-based degrees, and their level (BA, MA, etc.) will be based on their previous qualification.

During one such meeting, a heartening incident happened. While attending the meeting, a male prisoner became emotional, and tears rolled down his cheeks. A prison administrator and I comforted him. After the meeting, I asked the administrator if he knew the reason the prisoner was emotional. He explained that the prisoner had a young son who had asked his mother if his father was a good man and why he had gone to jail. The mother had consoled their son by saying that he had gone to study and would return once he completed his studies. The administrator said that this prisoner now felt like completing his studies was his responsibility and was moved by this opportunity to fulfil it.

Special Programme for High School Dropouts

Across the globe, many prisoners’ educational level is below 10th Grade. IGNOU created a programme called Bachelor’s Preparatory Programme (BPP), which is a non-formal entry qualification to an undergraduate degree. No formal qualification is required for the BPP; candidates only need to be 18 years or older. It is very useful for prisoners who dropped out of school to access Higher Education. As women in India tend to be particularly affected, separate awareness meetings are organised between women prisoners who might need BPP and women faculty members are available to guide them.

Special Admission Camps

During admission period, special camps are organised in the jail premises. Group and individual counselling are held for prisoners, and they are recommended suitable programmes for Admission, based on their preferences and eligibility. If they have copies of their certificate(s), they can proceed with admission immediately; if they do not have them, they can get them from home through post or when a family member visits them and proceed with admission for the subsequent semester.

Induction Meetings

After the admission process is completed, students obtain their identity card and study materials by post. The induction meeting is the first meeting of the admitted students with the university. The objective of this meeting is to introduce the students to the university. Experts explain what the university is, its unique features, the method of study, the assessment system (both continuous evaluation and end-of-term evaluation), the advantages of the university, the learner’s responsibilities, etc. Sometimes, senior incarcerated students, who have already studied in IGNOU, are also invited to share their experiences.

MBA Entrance Examination (OPENMAT) Coaching

Some of the prisoners are interested in joining the MBA programme offered by IGNOU. Initially, admissions were only offered to those who fulfilled the eligibility criteria, that is, to those who had an undergraduate degree, a minimum of three years of supervisory or managerial experience, and who had passed the entrance exam for MBA admission, OPENMAT, which the university conducts throughout India. Yet, prisoners often lacked experience, so they seldom were eligible.

Since, the university simplified the eligibility criteria to an undergraduate degree and the OPENMAT. Still, the entrance examination is very difficult. To help prisoners pass the exam and encourage their interest in pursuing an MBA, we decided to run free coaching classes for them. Some university counsellors volunteer to guide them and provide competitive exam preparation material. Counsellors visit them and provide coaching within the jail premises. Subsequently, in 2017, of eleven prisoners who attempted the MBA entrance exam, nine have qualified! It is a significant achievement that we have celebrated with them. They were later admitted into the MBA programme.

Mediated Academic Counselling1 Through Gyanavani FM Radio

Academic office hours for IGNOU students are held at Study Centres on weekends. Due to prison restrictions, arranging academic counselling can be difficult. We found an alternative through IGNOU’s FM Radio. The jail authorities were kind enough to provide FM Radio to the incarcerated students (separately for men and women). In order to bring interactivity to the class, an innovative, mediated form of counselling was adopted.

During face-to-face office hours, a student can ask questions directly to the teacher, who will answer them. With radio academic counselling, the teacher sits in a radio station studio, and any student can make a telephone call to the studio and talk to the teacher. Since direct access to a telephone is restricted for prisoners, they cannot interact directly with the teacher to ask their questions. Instead, incarcerated students write their questions on a piece of paper and hand it over to an IGNOU coordinator – a prison administrator who also coordinates IGNOU activities in the prison. The coordinator then goes to the prison’s administrative office, calls the radio studio, and reads the questions of the incarcerated students. The teacher finally replies and the students hear the answers on the radio, even as they are sitting in their jail. This format of academic counselling is available and can be listened to by both incarcerated and other students. As such, it is akin to the Inside-out programme (UNESCO: 16), in which university students visit prisons to learn alongside students inside. It creates opportunities to learn from/with the other. At Nagpur, interactions between incarcerated and other students take place through technology. More details are available in earlier work (see Pathaneni, 2020).

Examination Invigilation

The University conducts end-of-term examinations twice a year, in June and December. For incarcerated students, exams are conducted in the Jail Study Centre synchronously with the exams outside of prison. External observors2 (Senior Academicians) are appointed, like any other exam centre. Incarcerated students are always advised that once they are released and attend any job interview outside, they will be interviewed and tested on their subject knowledge. Thus, they should properly prepare for their exams. It is a satisfaction to note that they follow this advice and usually come to their exams fully prepared. The flexibility in program completion at IGNOU – a one-year diploma can be completed in four years – gives them the chance to do the exams only when they are ready.

Convocation Attendance

IGNOU organizes a convocation to distribute certificates to those who successfully completed their degree. Nagpur Regional Centre asks the Prison Higher Authorities permission to send the incarcerated students who have completed their undergraduate or postgraduate degree to the convocation held in Nagpur, in a public place. Sometimes, such permission is granted. With their approval, a total of six prisoners (including one woman) personally attended the 26th convocation, held on April 12, 2013, with full security arrangements. They proudly received their degrees on stage, along with other students, and exuberated confidence that their degree will improve their future, once they re-enter society after their discharge from prison. The event garnered the attention of both print and electronic media, improving society’s perception of prisoners by highlighting their efforts and their potential for rehabilitation.

Degree Distribution

Unfortunately, permission may not always be granted by the Higher Authorities for incarcerated students to attend convocation outside prison, as it requires a lot of security arrangements. To congratulate and motivate these students, their certificates are then distributed within the jail, in the presence of a huge gathering of prisoners in the Education Building. The certificates are handed by Senior Academicians of the city. The idea is that other prisoners may be motivated to receive their own certificate as they watch their peers and opt to begin or resume their educational journey.

National Science Day

In India, National Science Day is celebrated on the 28th of February to inculcate scientific enquiry among citizens, and especially among students. Incarcerated students are also students, and they too should take part in the event. A science quiz (at 10th-grade level, or a daily newspaper level of knowledge) is conducted in association with the Indian National Science Congress at Nagpur. Prisoners are informed in advance about the competition and those interested can register. The first year, thirty prisoners participated. All participants were presented with certificates and a popular science book in a subsequent event chaired by Vice Chancellor of the local university. The quiz has been held consistently in following years, with different themes. One year, for instance, a debate competition was held on the topic “Science is a Boon or Bane”. Incarcerated students are given advance notification, so they have the chance to prepare for the competition.

National Poster Competition

For National Science Day, a poster competition is held at the national level for all IGNOU students in New Delhi. The news is also shared with incarcerated students, who are encouraged to participate. The IGNOU coordinator of the prison provides them with colours, pencils, charts, etc. The prisoners’ submissions are sent by the Nagpur Regional Centre to New Delhi. It is heartening to note that incarcerated students of Nagpur have won consolation prizes in this National Competition!

Essay Writing Competition on the Eve of Constitution Day

The Nagpur Regional Centre organizes an essay writing competition on the Indian Constitution for students of the region. Incarcerated students participate along with regular students. All are evaluated by university professors. In the past, some of the incarcerated students’ essays were well-received and won prizes. In an event held within jail premises, winners were given prizes and certificates by the principal of the College of Law.

Swachh Bharat (Clean India)

The government of India initiated the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) mission and proposed various activities to be carried out by all citizens, including students. Our incarcerated students took part in the activity, cleaning their premises and taking the Swachh Bharat oath.

Transfer to Another Jail or Release from Jail

If an incarcerated student is transferred to another prison (as part of jail procedures), they can opt for a change of IGNOU Study Centre to the one at their new location. Moreover, if they complete their incarceration period and are discharged before the end of their studies, they can continue to study outside of jail as a regular IGNOU student, with the same enrolment number. This ensures a seamless learning experience and the chance to earn a degree or certificate without any break in their studies.

Sense of Pride

The IGNOU student prisoners receive the same study material, attempt the same exams, and receive the same degree as any other IGNOU student. Therefore, there is a sense of pride or self-elevation by incarcerated students, who feel that they are not inferior to outside students.

Media Coverage

Most prisons limit prisoners’ contact with others, and social isolation is a major problem among incarcerated people (UNESCO: 76). Prisoners may feel alienated from and by society. To overcome this feeling of alienation and isolation, a positive promotion strategy was adopted. The media were solicited to release content about the various academic activities of IGNOU incarcerated students in Nagpur. They support these learners by giving visibility to their convocation, Science Day achievements, Swachh Bharat activities, etc. A few links to media articles are given in the references section (see IGNOUs Radio Programme to educate Prisoners in Nagpur, 2019; Swarajya, 2019).

Early Release for Academic Achievement

The Indian government offers early release to prisoners if they complete an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. This further motivates prisoners to take on academic pursuits.  In 2023, across nine jails of Maharashtra State, 145 inmates completed their studies and earned an early release (Nishita, 2023).

Discussion

Prisoners are generally poor. Therefore, even if they are motivated, they cannot pay fees to study. IGNOU allows them to nurture their desire to study by waiving all fees for prisoners. The waiver resulted in an accumulated enrolment of more than 1,000 incarcerated students at Nagpur.

Awareness meetings are well-received. Initially, they were held only for male prisoners until a woman deputy superintendent requested awareness meetings for women prisoners as well. An interesting incident happened the first time such a meeting was held in a women’s prison. The initial encounter usually includes a presentation by an expert, followed by a Q&A session. During the latter, a woman prisoner said that she was 55 years old and too old to study. I explained to her that education is a lifelong activity and gave examples of other students who were in their 70s. The woman prisoner became inspired and decided to give studying a try.

Various competitions like quizzes, essay writing contests, or debates are held to generate a spark among prisoners and encourage educational activities. These events allow them to think differently, away from their rigid daily routine, and towards something positive. Once again, they were initially held only for male prisoners, but later included women prisoners, and eventually, all regional students. Certificates (both for competitions and for degree completion) are presented by reputed Senior Academicians for two reasons. On the one hand, the speeches of experts may ignite the academic spirit in the prisoners; on the other, by seeing their peers going onto a stage and receiving certificates from reputed individuals, prisoners may feel inspired to begin their own journey and one day, step onto the stage themselves.

In Sanskrit, there is a saying: “Spardhaya Vardhate Vidya”, which means “learning grows through competition.” IGNOU’s many activities reflect this saying, especially since they have an increased number of participants, year after year. Allowing incarcerating students to learn with and like regular students not only motivates the students but also their peers to imagine a better future for themselves through education.

Conclusion

The paper presented “out of the box”activities carried out at Nagpur Central prison to motivate prisoners towards education offered by IGNOU. IGNOU does not simply offer academic programmes, it strives to create an academic environment in jail, akin to a college environment. The article introduced several initiatives to motivate prisoners to become incarcerated students. It was a collective effort between prison administration, IGNOU officials, and most importantly, prisoners and their willingness to learn, to try, and to grow. In a sense, this paper supports Mahatma Gandhi’s perception that “prisoners are with diseased minds,” but shows that they are also eager to be cured, and education may be the cure.

References

Notes

  1. While in Canada, “academic counselling” refers to the service provided by counsellors to help students identify and work towards their educational and professional goals, in India, the term refers to office hours, provided by teachers to students to help them grasp what they have learnt in class. ↩︎
  2. These observers are different from the usual invigilators, who are typically employees of the institution where the exam is held (in prison, they are prison employees). External observers further uphold the credibility of exams by observing the local invigilators and authorities. ↩︎

Author

Sivaswaroop Pathaneni
Former Senior Regional Director, IGNOU Regional Centre, Nagpur, India
psivaswaroop@gmail.com

Cite this article

Pathaneni, S. (2025). Motivating Prisoners Towards Education – A Case Study of Efforts Made in Nagpur, India. Apprendre + Agir, special issue 2025, Learning and Transforming: International Practices and Perspectives on Prison Education. https://icea-apprendreagir.ca/motivating-prisoners-towards-education-a-case-study-of-efforts-made-in-nagpur-india/

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