In the media

South Africa’s Academy of Science has released a revised 2025 Code of Best Practice in Scholarly Journal Publishing, addressing AI misuse, peer-review ethics, open access, data transparency, and diversity. The code strengthens editorial independence, accountability, and integrity, aiming to curb predatory publishing, plagiarism, and unethical authorship. Stakeholders describe it as a blueprint for credibility and a safeguard for research trust.

The Arab League adopted its first AI Ethics Charter to guide the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and research across member states. It emphasizes data privacy, sustainability, and technological sovereignty, promotes open-source tools and ethical research, and calls for regional collaboration. The charter also recommends monitoring systems and national policies to support responsible and inclusive AI development in the Arab world.

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.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) has established strategic command centers across the nation to address various issues plaguing schools. These include actions like dismissing students over unpaid fees, offering paid extra lessons, discriminatory enrollment practices, corporal punishment, imposing unapproved fees, and other misconduct. The MoPSE's communications and advocacy director urged stakeholders to utilize designated contacts to report any malpractices. The goal is to ensure that every school-going child receives a quality, fair, and comprehensive primary, and secondary education.

Following a growing number of misconduct allegations involving ministers and public servants, Queensland Department of Education Director-General announced zero tolerance to fraud and corruption and encouraged a culture of commitment to working with integrity. Employees and state school teachers and staff can now report alleged corruption through a new anonymous online portal.

Women and girl child rights activists are calling for tougher and broader sexual harassment guidelines at institutions of higher learning in Uganda to avert cases of lecturers and other university administrators taking advantage of the students they teach. After indecently assaulted a student in 2018, a former administrator at Makerere University has been sentenced to only two years in prison or he has the option to pay a fine of UGX4 million (US$1,080). The 2019 Annual Police Crime Report for Uganda tallied sexual violence-related cases, including assault and rape, at 1,528.

81 per cent of young people in Vietnam said they have no or very little information on integrity and anti-corruption rules. The Youth Integrity Survey 2019 revealed that while most young people seem to understand the concept of integrity, a majority appear willing to compromise integrity to gain benefits for themselves and their families. The Vietnam Integrity School brings young people together across Vietnam to learn about anti-corruption, exchange ideas, and discuss how to design and implement initiatives to promote integrity in their school, community, and workplace.

An audit conducted at Yonsei University In Seoul revealed 86 cases of irregularities including unfair admissions, evaluations, and recruitment issues, as well as allegations of misappropriation of university funds by professors who used the university ‘corporate cards’ to pay for nightclub entertainment and golf. Twenty-six staff and faculty members are subject to disciplinary action, and eight cases have been filed for violations of regulations including allegations of misconduct or embezzlement and violations of private school laws.

The head of South Australia's Independent Commissioner against Corruption launched an investigation into allegations of misconduct and malpractice on the part of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Adelaide after he resigned for health reasons. The university had previously projected revenues of more than A$1 billion (US$705 million) for this year, but these have been replaced by projected losses of A$100 million.

The principal of Zakir Husail Delhi College has been promoted to his current designation through dubious and fraudulent means. To meet the eligibility to the post of principal, he plagiarized his work, copied full papers of other authors without mentioning or giving credit. A letter of complaint signed by several academic council members has sent to University Grants Commission.