Prisoners' Education Trust Fund

Background

The pursuit of academic qualifications is conducive to the successful rehabilitation of offenders. In this regard, the Correctional Services Department closely liaises with external educational bodies to facilitate persons in custody to sit for external examinations and to attend external courses organized or run by recognized examination/academic bodies. To support and assist motivated persons in custody, who however are in need of financial resources to pay for the required fees, the Prisoners' Education Trust Fund was established under the Prisoners' Education Trust Fund Ordinance (Chapter 467, Laws of Hong Kong) in December 1995.

Objects of the Fund

The purpose of the Fund is to provide financial assistance to individual persons in custody, on application, to pay for education / vocational training courses, public examination fees and the like.

Administration of the Fund

In accordance with Section 6 of the Ordinance, the ‘Prisoners' Education Trust Fund Committee’ was established for the purpose of directing the Trustee (i.e. the Commissioner of Correctional Services) with regard to the objects of the Fund and with regard to the investment of fund moneys. The Committee consists of a chairman and a member, who shall not be public officers, appointed by the Secretary for Security, the Commissioner of Correctional Services or his representative as ex officio member and the officers in charge of the Rehabilitation Unit 2 and the Education Unit of the Department.

Financial Assistance

Invitation exercises are conducted three times a year. Applications from persons in custody are made to the Department for processing and the Committee meets to vet each and every application. Since the establishment of the Fund, many persons in custody were granted financial assistance for the payment of external examination/course fees. External examinations include the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination, the London Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) Examinations, the City & Guilds International Examinations, etc. External courses include those run by the School of Continuing & Professional Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Management Association and the Hong Kong Metropolitan University.

Donation

The Trust welcomes donations from members of the public. For enquiry, please contact the Secretary of the Fund, whose telephone number and address are as follows: