In the media

A report on sexual harassment by the Commission for Gender Equality has revealed that some student leaders at Nelson Mandela University in South Africa have demanded sexual favors from first-year students in exchange for on-campus accommodation. Additionally, at North-West University, other students have reported engaging in sex work to survive. This report highlights both corruption among university students and serious cases of sexual harassment.

A study on the Public Availability of Research Integrity Policies in Leading African Universities found that only 20.67% of the 283 universities analyzed had research integrity policies, with major gaps in Northern and Central Africa. Most policies were written in English (87%), with smaller portions in Arabic (9%) and French (4%). The findings suggest that research integrity is often neglected and not aligned with national standards.

A report highlights how corruption in Africa's health and education sectors is denying millions of children access to essential services. Issues like worker absenteeism and informal fees result in fewer, lower-quality services. For instance, across Africa, 24% of teachers were absent during unannounced visits. The report urges governments to enhance transparency and accountability to address these inequalities.

The Council on Higher Education (CHE) has released guidelines for public and private universities on awarding honorary doctorates and professorships. This move addresses concerns about the misuse and potential abuse of honorary titles, which can lead to public distrust and exploitation. CHE emphasizes the importance of rigorous background checks and thorough evaluation of recipients' track records. It also advocates for revoking honorary degrees from individuals found guilty of criminal or unethical conduct.

The University of Botswana faces allegations of maladministration and academic dishonesty, including fake master’s degree credentials, favoritism, and academic fraud. The University's Vice Chancellor has dismissed these claims as malicious attempts to tarnish the institution's reputation.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education has called for quicker prosecution of all persons involved in exam fraud, warning that delays could encourage repeat offenses. He recommends measures like individualized penalties and placing candidates' names on exam papers to improve accountability. These steps aim to prevent issues such as unregistered candidates, unauthorized possession of materials, and altering results.

In Kampala, Uganda, police arrested a director of studies and three teachers for allegedly sharing fake Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) papers via a WhatsApp group. The suspects falsely claimed to access the papers from the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) and added other teachers to the group chat. UNEB warned of severe penalties for exam malpractice, PLE exams involving 798,771 candidates. They all face a fine of shs40 million and 10 years of imprisonment.

Student unions have urged the Ministry of Higher Education to conduct a transparent investigation into the allocation of foreign scholarships. Allegations of favoritism and nepotism have surfaced, with lower-performing students being accepted while top students are denied. Of the 300 scholarships allocated annually to Mauritanian students in Morocco, 191 would have been misappropriated.

In Uganda, education officers face charges of abuse of office for diverting capitation grants originally used to purchase school materials. The penalty is up to 7 years in jail and a fine of Sh3.6 million (Kenyan shillings). This case highlights issues of mismanagement and misdirection in the allocation of educational funds.

A former top official at South Africa's Passenger Rail Agency (PRASA), was sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud and forgery. The official who resigned before his 2015 arrest, was convicted of faking engineering qualifications and a job offer, which led PRASA to nearly double his salary. He was sentenced for three counts of fraud, including a deal that resulted in the purchase of unusable locomotives.