In the media

The video reports that teachers had to play by new rules as the Education Service Commission, responsible for recruiting government teachers in Uganda, reviewed its rules and regulations after 20 years. While it addresses teacher promotion and the teacher-parent relationship, the main emphasis has been placed on teacher's behavior.

"The battle against corruption should be taken to schools in order to confront the vice at an early stage", stated a Ugandan Parliament Speaker. She also pointed out that Uganda has suffered repercussions of this vice for a long time, which is why youth should be sensitized to corruption and its effects to avoid the pitfalls of their parents.

A first-year law student at Makerere University, is eager to use "Not In My Country". The website, launched in May, asks students in Uganda to report corruption in higher education – such as lecturers trading higher grades for money or sex – and lets students rate classroom experiences. Confronting corruption, even at university level, is risky, therefore various safeguards are used to protect identities.

In a rural district of Uganda, almost half of all teachers were absent on a typical school day. The African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN) trained a few student leaders in each school to take attendance of everyone, including teachers. As a result, teacher absenteeism has dropped to ten percent in this district.

Investigations into alleged misuse of Dutch government funds at Uganda's main university are deepening. The vice chancellor of Kampala's Makerere University is being questioned about 810,000 euros reported missing. And it's not the first time the top academic administrator is quizzed about where money has gone.

A website called Notinmycountry.org targets the corruption faced by students in Uganda. The secured site enables students to report acts of corruption by individuals at universities anonymously using a randomly generated username that cannot be linked to the user.

The Uganda government was last evening left searching for alternative sources of funding following the withdrawal of support to the education sector by one of its key donors. The Dutch government announced it was withdrawing funding to a tune of nearly Shs50b (14 million Euro), citing concerns over persistent corruption, poor public financial management and poor standards.

The Ministry of Education has said it is overwhelmed by the number of teachers who gained employment using forged documents. The Director of Basic Education said that a survey found that all districts in Eastern Uganda have several cases of forgeries. The same has been discovered in the Central region as investigations continue in other parts of the country.

In the past, teachers were heroes and their profession was highly respected. But over the years, things have changed and the profession has become the last career resort for many students. The nation needs to go back to the drawing board in the training and recruitment of teachers, putting emphasis on ethics and professionalism.

A survey conducted by Transparency International in Ghana, Madagascar, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Uganda covered different actors in the education system. The reports highlight the lack of budget information in schools and call for strengthened regulation and accountability, as well as greater involvement of school communities and parents.