In the media

Thanks to the introduction of a new biometric census system, education authorities discovered the presence of 47000 fictitious students in public and private universities in the capital Conakry. Thanks to this information, the government will able to better equip its universities and teaching staff, by making sure that funds are directed where they are most needed. The Minister of Higher Education has indicated that this process may also pave the way for the introduction of an automated university access system.

Integrity is not just a cornerstone of quality and equity in education; it is the foundation of a healthy, open society. School is typically the first place where children are exposed to diverse cultures and interact with public institutions. Addressing highly visible and criminal misconduct in education is a first step in establishing this trust. Merit-based, high-quality education is essential for Ukraine’s economic growth and social progress. Trust, openness, and transparency are the building blocks of a well-functioning education system and society. With these, Ukraine can achieve better outcomes from its education system, ensuring that human and financial resources are well used, that students have equal opportunities to learn, and that educational qualifications faithfully reflect students’ achievements.

The entrance exam at Rangsit University has been canceled after students were caught using wireless spy cameras in eyeglasses to capture exam questions and receive responses through linked smartwatches. Similar devices like Cheating Watch can store PDF, Word, and other documents or Invisible Watch displays nothing but cheat notes become visible when viewed with special glasses. In an attempt to eliminate the problem of differentiating between watches during examinations, some Australian universities have implemented bans on all wristwatches.

The country’s anti-corruption agency is partnering with the National Universities Commission, or NUC, to sponsor 20 doctoral theses engaging with anti-corruption issues over the next 10 years and to introduce an anti-corruption course for all students at undergraduate level. The Head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said university students constituted a strategic target for anti-corruption training and awareness which is the reason for their support of anti-corruption research and scholarship and the anti-corruption course for all university undergraduates.

Universities in China and elsewhere in Asia are belatedly joining global alliances to promote ethical practices in artificial intelligence or AI, which were previously being studied in university research centres in a fragmented way. Crucially there are still no international guidelines and standards in place for ethical research, design and use of AI and automated systems. China’s universities in particular are turning out a large number of researchers specialising in AI who are now opting to stay in the country to work for home-grown technology giants such as Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu – companies which gather and use huge amounts of consumer data with few legal limits.

Universities and business schools are grappling with the ethics curricula they teach to professionals and future professionals. This follows damning revelations of state capture involving accountants, auditors and consultants at major international companies. The dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand, said every crisis offers an opportunity. “There is a lot of debate within the senior executive team… we are working with two [international] economists, to develop context in the economics curriculum, it brings to the fore issues of power… so students think about economic systems with a historical perspective”.

If African business schools are to serve as change agents and play an effective role in combating systemic corruption in Africa, they need to equip future business leaders with pragmatic political skills rather than rely solely on developing an individual’s ethical outlook, according to new research from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. “Pockets of ethical behaviour do not go far enough in Africa, according to assistant professor of strategy in the School of Management at the University of Bath. “The [private] sector has a huge potential to bring about change, but only if it is politically capable,” he said.

Educating school children and young adults on the subject of corruption on the Seychelles’ three main islands is the aim of a joint project between Transparency Initiative Seychelles (TIS) and the Anti-Corruption Commission Seychelles (ACCS). Other than educating students and pupils, key activities under the project consist of revising the existing Anti-Corruption Act, reinforcing the capacity of the Transparency Initiatives Seychelles and to improve the latter’s advocacy through technical assistance and equipment.

YouTube stars are being paid to sell academic cheating, a BBC investigation has found. More than 250 channels are promoting EduBirdie, based in Ukraine, which allows students to buy essays, rather than doing the work themselves. YouTube said it would help creators understand they cannot promote dishonest behaviour. The BBC Trending investigation uncovered more than 1,400 videos with a total of more than 700 million views containing EduBirdie adverts selling cheating to students and school pupils.

Kazakhstan’s anti-corruption strategies are showing early signs of progress, a top official at the country’s Agency for Civil Service Affairs and Fighting Corruption said. Among the cited projects was Sanaly Urpak (Conscious Generation), established in Almaty, which seeks to minimise corruption in the education system. The project has developed an optimal solution for curbing corruption at the secondary and higher education level, as well as disseminating the academic honesty principle. University academic integrity and cohesion ratings will be issued annually based on project estimates.