In the media

The National Anti-Corruption Forum (NACF), in a bid to combat corruption, has raised the importance of whistle blowing as part of the school curricula to create awareness amongst learners and teachers.

The annual report of Transparency International on corruption perception worldwide shows that progress has been made in Sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe. The report also underlines that corruption most afflicts the poorest countries where governance is nonexistent and that money acquired through corrupt practice often come from multinationals based in rich countries.

According to a report elaborated by auditors from a nonprofit group based in Indiana, County principals have too much power and should be reined in to improve education in the school district. In order to avoid disparities, auditors have recommended limiting principal's powers and holding them for accountable for mistakes, as well as determining which decisions can be made at school level and which must be made by the central office.

A report from Fundación Grupo Civico Etica y Transparencia (EyT) was elaborated to show the results of the "Corruption Prevention in the Education System project". After monitoring large construction contract processes related to the maintenance of schools in rural areas, EyT found that a significant part of the Ministry of Education's public contracting budget had irregularities. It advised the Ministry to strengthen the quality control of materials and conduct regular internal audits.

A report examining governments contracting for the delivery of education services finds a wide range of models have been implemented around the world. The report, 'Contracting for the delivery of education services: A typology and international examples', published by the Education Forum, states that educational services contracting can have many benefits such as raising the efficiency of service delivery and spending.

Sierra Leonean civil society activists are working to improve accountability. The National Accountability Group (NAG) – the local chapter of Transparency International – used a Public Expenditure Tracking Survey (PETS) to find out what had happened to school fee subsidies and learning materials designated for a sample of 28 schools in a rural district. NAG's survey came after an earlier Ministry of Finance PETS revealed startling figures about education corruption. In 2002 researchers found that 45.1 percent of the funds for school fees subsidies were unaccounted for and that nearly 28 percent of teaching and learning materials had disappeared.

The Mayor of Ngoma District has issued a stern warning to school headmasters who inflate school registers with non-existent students and charge high fees on students sponsored by charity organisations. The authorities would punish anyone found guilty.

Corruption is still rampant among most officials of the Teachers Service Commission, a report released by TI indicates. Recruitment, deployment and promotion of teachers were identified as the 'hot spots' for potential corruption. However, the study indicates that efforts to make the selection criteria more objective were positive.

The Canadian value most under threat is freedom from corruption, claims the industry sector. The 2005 Transparency International survey shows that Canada has slipped to 14th among countries perceived as free of corruption, down from its traditional top-10 placing.

A report on examination malpractice rating of states and the six geo-political zones, conducted by Exam Ethics Project, has revealed an increase of 40 percent in the practice between 2003 and 2004, against a corresponding increase of 276 percent between 1999 and 2004.