No scissors nor pencils with a metal top. Internet access and USB sticks are not allowed, either. While there are interactive boards, PowerPoint presentations cannot be used on them because these are not connected to a computer.

These are some of the challenges posed by teaching in prison, according to Emily Dewar-Langridge who has been teaching for years at the Feltham prison in West London, England.

Speaking to Holly O’Mahony of the Guardian, Dewar-Langridge scoffs at people who say that young prisoners do not deserve an education because they’ve already committed crimes.

For Dewar-Langridge, education is the best choice for rehabilitating young male offenders, prevent more crimes from being committed, and allow them to become important members of the community.

She said that most of the young offenders have had negative experiences at school. This means that it’s going to be a tough challenge engaging them in an educational background they did not choose for themselves.

She discloses that the boys in her class are quite vulnerable because they have learning disabilities. There was even a time when she had to teach two 16-year-old boys how to write their names.

All the classes in Feltham prison have a maximum of eight pupils, which means each boy is getting more attention than if they were in a regular school. Dewar-Langridge say they are required to teach the boys 30 hours a week, which is more than the average full-time in college.

Meeting parents during legal