The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) said in a statement on Thursday that a Certificate Award Ceremony for the 2022/2023 academic year was recently held by the Correctional Services Bureau (DSC) at the local penitentiary in Coloane, where the learning achievements of 27 “incarcerated individuals” who completed their courses in 2022/2023 through USJ’s  Prison Outreach Programme were also summarised.

The private Catholic university’s outreach programme, according to its website, aims “to educate and inspire inmates to achieve their academic and professional goals, prepare them for future social reintegration, and a better transition into communities”.

The website adds that the programme offers courses drawn from its Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) programme and includes three stages. The first stage has USJ providing modules for the participants within the correctional facility, the second stage allows recently released inmates to take modules on the USJ campus and in the final stage, they can apply to continue their studies to receive a bachelor’s degree in social work, the website noted.

The statement said that 20 male inmates studied Social Work, while seven female inmates studied Business Administration.

At the ceremony, USJ Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Prof. Jacky Ho (何鍾建) awarded 18 male inmates with certificates. The statement added that Coloane Prison Director Lam Kam Sau and the Head of the Social Assistance, Education and Training Division Ho Sio Mei also presented them with the Correctional Services Foundation Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement for their “unwavering dedication and academic excellence”.

In his speech at the men’s prison block, Prof. Ho acknowledged the “remarkable progress” made in correctional education and noted the programme’s “transformative power”, with 56 inmates benefiting since its inception. Prof. Ho said he hoped that the programme could be expanded to offer “a more diverse range of courses to facilitate continual self-improvement and seamless societal reintegration for the incarcerated population”.

The statement added that Francisco Xavier Choi Man Wai, head of Taipa’s Our Lady of Carmo Parish, and International Ladies Club of Macau (ILCM) President Jolene Zhao do Amaral Hong Ying were also recognised for their generous funding. 

This undated handout photo provided by the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) on Thursday shows the Catholic tertiary education’s Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Prof. Jacky Ho (何鍾建) congratulating inmates at the local prison in Coloane after receiving their certificates.