Inmates Offered Second Chance with U21Global Postgraduate Scholarships

First Graduate School to partner Singapore Prison Service to help inmates develop management skills and reintegrate into society

Singapore, May 25, 2007 - U21Global, the world's premier online Graduate School, today announced the extension of the U21Global-Singapore Prison Service (SPS) scholarship programme to help more inmates pursue executive certificate programmes in both Business Management and Information Technology Management. Five scholarships were awarded last year with the aim to promote lifelong learning and help inmates upgrade their management skills while serving their terms.

U21Global is the first graduate school to offer scholarships that specifically benefit inmates under SPS's custody. This year, U21Global will award six full scholarships for the executive certificate programmes.

U21Global CEO, Dr Mukesh Aghi commented: "This is an exciting project for both us and the Singapore Prison Service. In the past few years, SPS has done an exceptional job rehabilitating inmates under their custody. We felt that their passion and commitment towards preparing inmates for life after their sentence was something we shared and in which we wanted to contribute towards in a meaningful manner as a responsible organisation."

This partnership intends to benefit both U21Global and Singapore Prison Service. Specifically, it will give inmates a broad understanding of management principles through a variety of diverse aspects, whilst providing U21Global the platform to channel its beliefs by creating more awareness among the public about the needs of ex-offenders.

Madam Shie Yong Lee, Head Programme, Singapore Prison Service agreed : " The Singapore Prison Service welcomes partnerships with like-minded organisations who believe in rehabilitation and giving reforming ex-offenders a second chance as this will contribute to us making Singapore a safer society. The scholarships offered by U21Global should provide the selected inmates with the opportunity to develop marketable skills that will help them gain employment and reintegrate into society as productive citizens. We hope that this will be the start of more collaboration with other education providers."

For the scholarship recipients, on-campus class attendance may prove unfeasible. T hrough this collaboration, recipients can pursue the programme from the comfort of their home as well as benefit from the school's flexible course schedule which allows the students to learn at their own pace.

Ms Ruby Heng*, one of the recipients under the home detention scheme was elated when she was awarded the scholarship. She commenced her course in Information Technology Management last year, and has plans to complete it prior to her release in September this year. Heng said, "The highly flexible and interactive e-Learning platform that U21Global offers has enabled me to work and study at the same time and no time is wasted on travelling to a physical classroom. This has kept me very motivated in my quest for new knowledge and I have also gained much from the discussions with my course mates from various countries and professions."

"I am grateful to both Singapore Prison Service and U21Global for the opportunity to benefit from this meaningful programme. Upon the completion of this course, it is my desire to contribute to the society by sharing my knowledge with the younger generation."

" We believe that many inmates are ready to move on with life, and we want to help them reintegrate into society. With the flexibility and unique pedagogy that our programmes offer, we believe that we have the necessary knowledge, skills and resources to offer an alternative rehabilitation programme to Singapore inmates, " added Dr. Aghi.

The scholarship is open to inmates placed on Community-Based Programmes with at least three months to a year left in their sentence. To qualify for admission, applicants require a first degree as well as at least three years working experience. Applicants who are GCE 'O' or 'A' level holders with at least eight years of working experience (of which, a management position is held for a minimum of five years) will also be considered for the scholarships. U21Global will sponsor the broadband subscription of a one-time payment of $200 per student.

*Name has been changed.

About Singapore Prison Service

The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) is an agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs. As a key member of the Home Team, SPS protects society through the safe custody and rehabilitation of offenders, cooperating with its partners in aftercare and prevention. The SPS is committed to realising its Captains of Lives vision. Its team of uniformed officers and civilian staff work together to realise its vision of steering offenders towards becoming responsible citizens with the help of their family and the community. In doing so, SPS aims to build a secure and exemplary prison system.

 About U21Global

Established in 2001, U21Global is the world's premier online Graduate School and offers globally recognised graduate programmes. It is a joint venture between Universitas 21, an international network of 19 leading research-intensive universities in 11 countries, and Thomson Learning, a world leader in tailored learning solutions. U21Global combines the traditional quality of its founders with innovative modes of delivery on the Internet, providing students with substantial learning advantages, while balancing work, travel and family life.

U21Global has successfully enrolled students from 60 countries around the world including those from Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The graduate programmes draw upon the best practices in online learning and pedagogy and have been approved by U21pedagogica, an independent quality assurance body which ensures that the curriculum meets the rigorous academic standards of all 19 affiliated universities. For more information on U21Global, please visit our campus at www.u21global.edu.sg

U21Global's affiliated universities include: North America: McGill University, Tecnológico de Monterrey,University of British Columbia, University of Virginia; Europe: Lund University; University College Dublin, University of Birmingham, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Nottingham; East Asia: Fudan University, Korea University, National University of Singapore, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Hong Kong; Australia & New Zealand: University of Auckland., University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland.