These are the most popular degrees to study – in South Africa’s prisons
As part of a recent parliamentary Q&A session the minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Michael Masutha, was asked how many prisoners were currently studying inside South Africa’s prisons.
The data provided shows that some prisoners are studying for qualifications which would not look out of place on a CEO-level CV.
However, the number of inmates studying is disappointing considering how many people are currently incarcerated across the country.
As of the end of 2017, Africa Check estimated that the average inmate population was around 161,054 – including those prisoners who are currently remand detainees (awaiting sentencing) and those that have already been sentenced.
According to Masutha, a total of 1,519 prisoners were currently completing their high school education.
Of these students, 835 are currently enrolled to complete their National Senior Certificate newer CAPS Curriculum, while 683 were enrolled under the old syllabus.
Degrees, diplomas and certificates
A total of 291 prisoners are registered for university studies, Masutha said.
The data provided by the department of correctional services shows that a wide number of further education opportunities are available across the country’s prisons, with prisoners studying everything from web design to dentist technology.
However, the most popular degrees appear to be in the legal field, education and commerce (Bcom).
Below BusinessTech looked at the most popular degrees across prisons in Gauteng, the Western Cape and KZN.
You can find a full list of subjects here.
Gauteng
| Rank | Field of study | Number of prisoners |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Literally Legum Baccalaureus (LLB) | 9 |
| 2 | Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) | 4 |
| 3 | Master of Law (LLM) | 3 |
| 4 | Bachelor Of Administration | 2 |
| 5 | Bachelor of Accounting Science (BCompt) | 2 |
Western Cape
| Rank | Field of study | Number of prisoners |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Literally Legum Baccalaureus (LLB) | 10 |
| 2 | Certificate: Human Resource Management | 2 |
KZN
| Rank | Field of study | Number of prisoners |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Higher Certificate in ABET (Adult Basic Education and Training) | 9 |
| 2 | Literally Legum Baccalaureus (LLB) | 5 |
| 3 | Economic & Management Science (HC) | 4 |
| 4 | Bachelor of Education Intermediates & Senior Phase | 4 |
| 5 | Higher certificate law | 4 |
| 6 | Bcom Marketing (Degree) | 3 |
| 7 | Program in Early Learning (SC) | 3 |
| 8 | Islamic Finance, Banking and Law Programme (Higher Certificate) | 3 |
| 9 | Bachelor of Education (Degree) | 2 |
Read: The best universities in South Africa to study business and law
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