In the media

A new survey by Transparency International (TI) Initiative in Madagascar reveals widespread corruption in education. 40% of nearly 5,000 respondents reported being victims of corruption in schools, while 81% said they knew of such cases, including diploma buying, exam leaks, and sexual favors for grades. TI warns these practices undermine equal access to education and trust in the system.

Recurring exam scandals in Senegal, including leaks of confidential test papers, have prompted parents and civil society to call for a deep reform of the education system. Experts cite corruption, weak digital security, and social pressures, recommending changes in curricula, ethics education, and legal enforcement.

A study surveying 2,864 people across seven regions of Madagascar – including students, parents, and educators – reveals widespread corruption in the technical and vocational education. The findings expose exam fraud, grade buying, biased teacher selection, embezzlement, and sale of test papers. Interviews and qualitative analysis deepened the understanding of these systemic issues in admissions and resource management.

Corruption affects all aspects of educational planning and management. This includes the financing of schools, the recruitment, promotion and appointment of teachers, the construction of school buildings, the purchase and distribution of equipment and textbooks, and access to university. Corruption restricts access to education at all levels, from pre-school to university. It hinders the quality of learning, with children from disadvantaged backgrounds being the main victims.

The Chadian Anti-Corruption Organisation (OTAC) has launched an awareness-raising campaign to educate pupils and teachers about the importance of ethics and the fight against corruption in schools. Highlighting the importance of combating the consequences of corruption, including its influence on grades and harmful practices such as sexual favours, OTAC's national coordinator stressed the need to consider the gender dimension, encouraging the empowerment of girls and the promotion of equal opportunities.

One year after ChatGPT became widely available to the general public, the Le Sphinx Institute conducted a national survey on "AI in education" in partnership with Compilatio, which provides higher education establishments with anti-plagiarism and AI usage detection software. More than 5,600 teachers and students reported on their use of AI and their concerns.

According to reports by the Central Office for Combating Illicit Enrichment (OCLEI) and the Office of the Auditor General (BVG), the education sector in Mali is facing revelations of financial malpractice. Average annual state subsidies to public schools amount to 49.600 billion CFA francs, but financial irregularities of more than 19.744 billion CFA francs have been revealed. Questionable practices, such as awarding subsidies to non-compliant establishments, issuing fake decrees and making irregular payments, have been exposed.

The Ministry of Education and the Unité de Lutte Contre la Corruption (Anti-Corruption Unit) have launched "integrity clubs" at the Haitian-Canadian secondary school, also involving the Lycée National in Pétion-Ville. Each club, made up of eight members, aims to involve pupils in the fight against corruption through self-learning and civic education from an early age. School headmasters and representatives welcomed the initiative, stressing the importance of training young people to become citizens of integrity to build a new Haiti.

Education authorities in N'Zérékoré are organizing a meeting to follow up on suspicions of embezzlement linked to the purchase of desks for Parents' Associations. The National Agency for the Fight against Corruption and Good Governance has announced the creation of a toll-free number to report cases of corruption. School officials and parent-teacher associations were sensitized to the notion of corruption and inappropriate practices. The prefect urged them to avoid manipulating associations to collect money from parents, stressing that those involved would have to answer to the law.

The Libyan authorities announced on Thursday that they were opening investigations following an outcry over revelations of generous scholarships to study in Turkey for relatives of senior government officials. The beneficiaries of the scholarships had surprising profiles: a 74-year-old woman receiving a grant of more than 2,700 dollars a month to study computer science in Turkey and two brothers aged 57 and 70 accompanied by 10 and 15 members of their families at public expense. The lists include "1,895 scholarship holders" to whom a total of more than 14 million euros is paid each quarter.