Learning Kits for the Champs: Innovating Teaching and learning in Prison School

Abstract

In this endemic era, we are learning to live with Covid-19 while simultaneously adjusting to the new norms. A rather challenging context may experience the impacts of Covid-19 differently such as the Integrity School in prison. While the whole world is busy with the abrupt transition to online platform since 2020, the teaching and learning environment remains mundane for schools behind bar. An important question here points to how can we innovate teaching and learning in a challenging context? This social innovation project aims to design and implement new solutions to the current practice, which ultimately aim to improve the wellbeing of the learning community within the prison institutions. Utilising Ubuntugogy - an African educational paradigm- the Prison Learning Project developed the Learning Kits (Job Hunting Skills and Hak Anda Sebagai Pekerja) for young inmates serving short prison terms (i.e., less than one year) in the prison Integrity School in Sabah. This social innovation project aspires to utilise the learning kits as supplementary learning activities to prepare the young inmates for reintegration into the community. It is hoped that this innovation may benefit the socially challenged community in the prison Integrity schools.