In the media

The South African government has identified 8,854 high-risk cases in its effort to eliminate ghost work in the public sector. In its process to verify all its employees, the highlighted cases were identified to show payment irregularities that need to be clarified in an outstanding audit. As part of the efforts to address this issue, the Education Labour Relations Council is undertaking physical verification of teachers and learners in order to identify possible ghost teachers and ensure spending efficiency.

A Supreme Court mandate has prompted an expansive audit of private, non-government, and deemed universities in India. The directive follows a student's conflict over a name amendment, revealing larger concerns about administrative transparency and governance within these institutions, and in particular the prevalence of slow or ineffective grievance response systems within Indian higher education. Other areas where opaque practices are often reported, such as admission, recruitment and use of funds, are also now under direct examination.

Transparency International has published a report outlining the reality of sexual corruption in Rwanda’s education system. It outlines how sexual demands are used, especially in higher education, in return for favours such as grade allocation, class access and exam participation. As women only account for 34% of the student population in higher education and 25% of academic staff, the system remains vulnerable to gender-based violence.

The Nigerian National Universities Commission (NUC) has banned the awarding of honorary degrees to serving public officials. This decision was taken after an investigation found that honorary degrees are being used as a way to fraudulently gain the title ‘Dr’. The head of NUC warned that misuse of honorary titles undermines the integrity of universities and diminishes public trust in genuine academic qualifications. The report identified 32 Nigerian institutions operating as honorary degree mills.

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has identified 55 offices in Kerala, India, that are suspected of corruption. Officials are suspected of having collected bribes from teacher candidates to then redistribute them among official staff. The case includes the artificial increase of student numbers to maintain teacher positions, and the appointment of staff without following disability reservation norms.

The Department of Education (DepEd), in its continued efforts to promote better transparency in the education sector, rolled out its open data initiative named Project Bukas that discloses datasets on assessment results and school characteristics. Representatives from the public and private sectors and civil society conveyed their support for Project Bukas, highlighting the value of accessible data in better understanding assessment data and informing educational policies and reforms.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs has published a new Student Visa Integrity Alert in response to multiple cases of applicants attempting to enrol in university programmes with fake passports, enrolment certificates or exam results. While higher education institutions are dependent on incoming international students, the Department warns that admitting students based on fraudulent documents can undermine trust in Australia’s academic programmes.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) of Indonesia is set to embed anti-corruption education into the national curriculum. The idea is to break the current vicious cycle of corruption, where young people in their 20s and 30s are already committing acts of corruption. The idea is to foster a culture of integrity and ethical behaviour among future generations, and to reduce corruption through anti-corruption education from an early age.

Nigeria’s Senate has approved the “Sexual Harassment of Students” Bill that could impose imprisonment of up to 14 years for academic staff in higher education who sexually harass students. In a context where sex-for-grades scandals have long caused concern, this law protects students while holding academic institutions accountable. It also requires institutions to establish an Independent Sexual Harassment Prohibition Committee with investigative powers to bolster accountability.

Education authorities in the Philippines have signed a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) to take action against “diploma mills”. The establishment of the JMC is a direct response to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), which found an alarming level of unaccredited and substandard programs in higher education, especially in teacher education. The JMC addresses this until 2029 by establishing, among others, an Online National Registry (ONR) and a Quality Assurance Harmonization Committee to create transparency over accredited programs.