More than 10 inmate-students appeared for the civil services examination this year and seven qualified for the MBA course conducted by INDOMAT.

``We had started an IGNOU/National Open School centre here. This move seems to have helped under-trials, several of whom have enrolled themselves in several degree and professional courses,'' Ajay Agrawal, Director General (Prisons) said.

The success of the strategy `Reform through Education and Education for Rehabilitation' can be gauged from the fact that none of Tihar's IGNOU students have returned to jail after being released, he said. Education has motivated them to pursue careers away from crime. The jail has a separate academic ward -- first ever in the annals of Indian prison history -- where the IGNOU/NOS centres are situated. It houses about 180 inmates registered in courses varying from elementary to post-graduate courses.

The superintendent of jail number three, where the academic ward is situated, is the ex-officio co-ordinator of the IGNOU study centre. The study centre has a computer-room, which has two Pentium machines.

The centre is running two vocational courses -- one in commercial arts and another in typing. These are of three-months and six-months duration respectively, and have been recognised by the Directorate of Technical Education, Delhi government. Regular classes are held from morning to evening like in other IGNOU/NOS centres across the country.

Highly-educated inmates like engineers, doctors and others are counselling and teaching other prisoners as part of the jail education policy. During the past two years, the results of prisoners writing NOS and IGNOU exams have shown a success rate of 70 to 80 per cent.