In the media

University education in Africa is regarded as key to a better future, and has the potential to provide the tools that people need to improve livelihoods and live with dignity. But according to Transparency International, systemic corruption is eroding benefits that could be accrued from higher education.

While corruption hampers all development efforts, it is a debilitating presence in the education sector. Teacher absenteeism is one of the most serious forms of corruption in education. While there are many valid reasons for a teacher to be away from the classroom, some absences are clearly illegitimate.

Global Corruption Report: Education, released on 1st October, argues that corruption has not just raised the cost of higher education but has also hindered socio-economic progress in many African countries by diminishing the quality of university education.

A mixture of endemic poverty and corruption in the education system and government abuses have not allowed children in rural areas access to basic education. Investment in basic education is crucial for future development, as 40% of the Honduran population is under 14.

The former Minister State for Information and Communication stated during a debate competition organized by the Association of Principals of Islamic Private Schools (APIPS) in Jos, that exam malpractice is destroying one of the pillars of development and poses a serious threat to the future of education in the country.

Corruption threatens good governance, sustainable development, democratic process and fair business environment. Young Citizen reporter caught students from Mapambano Tuition Center expressing their views in a debate whose motion is: teaching corruption subject from primary school level will help to eradicate corruption.

A report from the World Bank, "Africa Development Indicators 2010", has concluded that "quiet corruption" faced by common citizens is undermining the continent's development efforts and adversely affects inflows of investments.

Transparency International's 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) highlights the fatal link between poverty, failed institutions and graft. But other notable backsliders in the 2008 CPI indicate that the strength of oversight mechanisms is also at risk among the wealthiest. In low-income countries, rampant corruption jeopardizes the global fight against poverty, threatening to derail the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). According to TI's 2008 Global Corruption Report, unchecked levels of corruption would add US $50 billion (€35 billion) - or nearly half of annual global aid outlays – to the cost of achieving the MDG on water and sanitation.

The report from Transparency International evaluates the bribes versed to construction contracts in the world to over 300 billions of dollars. Some thirty billions are promised for the reconstruction of Iraq and around 10 billions of dollars are aimed to the reconstruction of South-East Asian countries hit by the tsunami last December.

Education minister Andrew Mulenga has stressed the need for accountability and transparency in the education sector to ensure benefits reach the intended target. The minister said at a joint annual review in Lusaka that there was need for accountability because the government was accountable to the people and education was the cornerstone for development.