UNESCO honours Ras Al Khaimah for pathbreaking learning opportunities for prisoners

RAS AL KHAIMAH: The Ras Al Khaimah Prison Programme has been recognised in a case study published by UNESCO’s Institute for Lifelong Learning, positioning the programme as a regional leader in prison education practices.

The feature, which forms part of Ras Al Khaimah’s educational efforts as one of UNESCO’s Global Network of Learning Cities, highlights the programme’s role in advancing inclusive education within correctional settings since its launch in 2011.

Implemented by the Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research in collaboration with the Ras Al Khaimah Correctional Facility, the programme provides inmates and correctional officers with access to learning resources and activities that support their educational and psychosocial needs. Central to the initiative is a multipurpose prison library with more than 9,000 titles, alongside spaces for self-reading and group activities, and a private room for psychological counselling and therapy sessions.

The library also hosts a reading book club and periodic communal activities that support engagement and personal development. The programme also provides educational courses for inmates on a vast range of topics including literacy in both Arabic and English, small business and office management skills, ICT, art, mental health first aid and life skills.

The UNESCO feature places these initiatives within Ras Al Khaimah’s wider shift towards rehabilitative, learning-centred correctional practices.

"In Ras Al Khaimah, we believe every member of our community has the right to learn, grow, and improve themselves, regardless of their circumstances,” said Dr Natasha Ridge, Executive Director of the Al Qasimi Foundation. "The prison programme creates learning opportunities that are practical, purposeful, and responsive to the realities people face during and after incarceration.”

Participation figures cited in the case study are drawn from data provided by the Foundation. According to the UNESCO feature, nearly 25 per cent of the inmate population has accessed the prison library since its launch, with inmates and correctional officers adjusting their daily routines to use the space.

The case study also notes that more than 1,000 inmates have participated in at least one educational course and references survey feedback reporting a renewed sense of hope and a clearer pathway to reintegration among participants. The feature also references the lasting impact on the rehabilitation and personal growth of inmates.

Since joining UNESCO’s Global Network of Learning Cities in 2022, Ras Al Khaimah has documented lifelong learning initiatives across formal, non-formal, and informal settings, including correctional institutions.

Within this framework, prison education is presented as part of the Emirate’s broader commitment to inclusive education, human rights, and equitable access to learning, contributing to Ras Al Khaimah’s broader vision of making high-quality learning opportunities available to all members of the community.

The full UNESCO case study is available at: https://www.uil.unesco.org/en/articles/ras-al-khaimah-prison-program-unesco-learning-city-ras-al-khaimah-united-arab-emirates.

WAM