VOA慢速英语--在希腊的一个拘留中心 一名官员用电视给囚犯上课

In a Greek Detention¹ Center, an Official Uses TV to Teach Prisoners

The director of a detention center in Greece is using television to teach the young men there who have no other way to get an education.

Petros Damianos is the director of the school at Greece's Avlona Special Youth Detention Center. He started the school in 2000. The men held at the detention center are between the ages of 18 to 25. Attendance² at the voluntary school became popular. By September 2020, 96 percent of the prisoners had signed up.

Students can earn graduation certificates³ similar to any Greek school. Teaching⁴ follows the national rules for education from grade school up to college levels.

But, in-person classes were canceled because of restrictions⁵ meant to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. In addition, internet connections are not permitted at the center. So, Damianos decided⁶ to create a TV channel to teach the young men.

"Our teachers couldn't reach the kids like they reach all other kids in Greece," said Damianos. "This was a big problem, a very big problem that seemed almost insurmountable."

Education can be an important tool that prisoners can use to improve their lives. Many of Avlona's prisoners have never graduated and or even completed early grades.

"Our students are those who...before they got to prison, the education system expelled⁷ them," Damianos said. "These kids are kids we didn't catch in time. To whom we as a society, when we should have, didn't give what we should have given." With the help of friends with technical knowledge, Damianos was able to create a TV channel to broadcast classes.

Nikos Karadosidis is Avlona's music teacher. He used his experience from technical work on musical performances and YouTube teaching videos to learn how to use the equipment for the channel. "I very quickly realized that this whole thing is essentially⁸ DIY," Karadosidis explained. "Do it yourself, with whatever materials you have, with whatever tools you have, to try to do the best you can."

With the help of donations⁹, volunteers and online orders, the employees collected the equipment they needed. A classroom in the prison was changed into a studio with a video camera.

One month later, the channel was ready. It was named Prospathados TV, which means "Trying TV" in the Greek language. The prisoners could watch the new channel on their televisions.

The first program was a half-hour math class. Now the channel operates 24 hours a day. It continuously shows six hours of pre-recorded classes during the week, and eight hours of classes on the weekend. Teachers record new classes each day with subjects like math, economics¹⁰ and music. Karadosidis works¹¹ at night and broadcasts the classes the next day.

Going to class provides more than just an education. School is a short escape from the difficulties of prison life.

Based on the prison's rules, prisoners can only be identified by the first letter of their first and last name. M.S. is a 21-year-old who earned his high school diploma in Avlona. He has two years left in his sentence for stealing and beatings.

He is now taking college-level classes at the school in photography and similar arts. He says the TV channel has become popular. "School is something different. It's a bit more human than the rest of the prison," said M.S. "We come here and we joke around with our teachers. They take care of us...It's a bit like a family."

Once the coronavirus crisis¹² is over, Damianos would like to expand the channel to include documentaries¹³ and other programs for teaching. While the TV channel is a temporary answer to a problem, he knows that televised classes are not the same as in-person classes.

"Let's be honest, the channel can't replace the education that takes place in school," Damianos said. "It is very important, but it is not enough."

Words in This Story

channel – n. a television or radio station

certificates – n. a document that is official proof¹⁴ that you have finished school or a course of training

insurmountable – adj. impossible to solve or get control of

studio – n. a place where radio or television programs are broadcast

diploma –n. a document which shows that a person has completed a course of study or has graduated from a school

replace – v. to be used instead of (something) else

1 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

2 attendance   

n.出席，出席人数，护理，照料

参考例句：

• The attendance of this class never dropped off.这个班的出席人数从未下降。
• The young man danced attendance on his rich aunt.这个年轻人小心侍候他有钱的姑妈。

3 certificates   

n.证明书，执照( certificate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They accepted their certificates with words of thanks. 他们一边道谢，一边接过证书。 来自辞典例句
• The bank manager is said to have issued fake certificates. 据说那个银行经理曾出具伪造的凭证。 来自辞典例句

4 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 expelled   

驱逐( expel的过去式和过去分词 )； 赶走； 把…除名； 排出

参考例句：

• She was expelled from school at 15. 她15岁时被学校开除了。
• After the outbreak of fighting,all foreign journalists were expelled. 战斗开始后，所有的外国记者都被驱逐出境。

8 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

9 donations   

n.捐赠( donation的名词复数 )；赠送；捐款；捐赠物

参考例句：

• The hospital receives a good deal of money in donations. 这家医院收到捐赠来的大笔款项。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The charity is completely reliant on public donations. 这一慈善团体完全依靠公众捐款。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

11 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

12 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

13 documentaries   

n.纪录片( documentary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• As for 'documentaries', these too are not altogether new. 至于“资料性文学”那也并不完全是新鲜事。 来自辞典例句
• These are not just animations live-action films, comedies, dramas and documentaries. 这些不仅仅是动画片，还包括表演摄制影片，喜剧，戏剧以及纪录片。 来自互联网

14 proof   

adj.防...的，耐...的，能防护；n.校样，证据，证明；vt.检验，给...做防护措施

参考例句：

• He is living proof of the wonders of modern medicine.他是当代医学奇迹的活证明。
• The proof was fished up from some old papers.校样在旧文件中被找到了。