In the media

Ghana is preparing to recruit 1,200 new university lecturers and 7,000 teachers to address staffing shortages, but the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission now requires all applicants to have their qualifications verified to prevent the use of fake degrees. This follows growing concerns about fraudulent and unaccredited certificates, which threaten education quality and credibility. UTAG stresses the need for stronger enforcement and legal action against academic fraud.

A new Transparency International report titled Leaving No Learner Behind reveals widespread corruption in education systems across Africa, based on research in five countries: DRC, Ghana, Madagascar, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. The study finds that practices such as ghost teachers, payroll fraud, cheating, exam bribery, and sexual exploitation are undermining education quality and access, particularly for vulnerable learners.

Senators urged the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to closely monitor diploma mills offering unaccredited graduate programs after around 100 teachers in Palawan reportedly paid for online courses that were later not recognized. The school involved allegedly offered an unauthorized extension program and is now under investigation. Officials encouraged teachers to verify programs through the Philippine Teacher Education Registry (PhilTER) database, while CHED also acknowledged staffing shortages in regional offices that make monitoring difficult.

Algeria plans a national AI-powered plagiarism detection system for universities and research institutions, integrating SNDL and university library portals. Between 2018–2025, 50 Algerian papers were retracted (6.3 per year), while globally, around 0.08% of publications are withdrawn annually. By January 2026, the system will access major databases, detect complex plagiarism, and could serve as a model for Africa, promoting academic integrity and research transparency.

The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Finance Minister has started a province-wide check to remove ghost workers from the Education Department. Nonexistent or former employees, including teachers who resigned, were dismissed, or died, are still receiving pay. This problem may be costing the department about 1 billion rand (approx. 57.31 million USD) every year, calling for urgent action.

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.

Hundreds of Maharashtra education officials staged protests after 17 officers were arrested in the Shalarth ID fraud, where fake digital identifiers for teachers were allegedly used to embezzle funds. Unions demand fair investigations and threaten indefinite strike, raising risks of major disruption in India’s school payroll system.

Kuwait’s Court of Cassation sentenced three education Ministry employees including the head of the ministry’s secret printing unit, a teacher, and another staffer for leaking confidential high school exam papers. The breach occurred within the Ministry’s secure printing unit, where classified papers were distributed in exchange for personal favors.

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.