In the media

According to the UNDP, corruption costs the world roughly $2.6 trillion annually. The Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime acknowledged that current methodologies to measure corruption are often unclear, with questions around the accuracy and reliability of available numbers and statistics. Estimates are based on limited indicators, while some frameworks prioritize narrow groups of stakeholders and their perceptions. UNODC is developing a comprehensive statistical framework to enhance accurate corruption measurement, supporting countries worldwide with capacity-building and technical guidance to combat corruption.

Ethical bodies in Sub-Saharan Africa face challenges in their capacity to perform their work due to a lack of ICT resources and academic training in ethics and regulatory affairs. €1.5 million (about US$1.62 million) has been granted to Benin, the Gambia, and Ivory Coast to install the Research for Health and Innovation Organiser software, a cloud-based platform that could make the work of such bodies more efficient while enabling them to improve ethical conduct and research integrity, review processes, build capacities in oversight and monitoring.

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.

While the West likes to highlight examples of corruption or malpractice in Africa, in fact they can be found in every country, including the US and the UK. Nigeria as one of a number of countries developing quality assurance capacity that is instituting explicit laws against certain types of corruption, monitoring institutions and shutting them down if there is evidence of corruption. Across Africa, GUNi-Africa is building capacity, talking to officials, pressing for public awareness and ensuring that people who are caught are sanctioned and that the sanctions are publicised.

In a bid to promote district level accountability in the delivery of education services, Action Aid has introduced an innovation which will address challenges to achieving high education standards. According to an Action Aid Project Officer in Mangochi, the initiative would address social accountability by working with the district council and building the capacity of various players in decision making positions to understand inclusive and accountable governance.

The first seminar on "Corruption, Transparency and Education" was held on May 28, 2016 at the Pedagogical Institute of Cyprus by Transparency International-Cyprus (TI-C). TI-C has included in its Strategic Plan for 2016 the important issue of education in an effort to raise awareness and build capacity for primary school teachers on Transparency, corruption and education. Given the success of the first seminar, TI-C looks forward to conducting more seminars for interested teachers who will act as the force to building capacity for the youngsters and ensure that they will not tolerate corruption.

Although there has been an enormous expansion in higher education in India over the past 30 years there is still a huge problem around quality. In 2013 the Indian government launched a new higher education improvement programme. Australian universities can help by: training staff, rooting out corruption, sharing knowledge on access, and establishing research partnerships.

The Council of Europe and European Union joint project “Strengthening Integrity and Combating Corruption in Higher Education in Armenia” was launched in Yerevan on 27 May 2015. The Project objective is to support the development of prevention and integrity mechanisms for practicing professionals and to increase good governance in the field of higher education in Armenia.

New teachers often face a many-month delay before they receive their salaries. Teachers sometimes supplement their income with a second job. This can affect their own attendance at school, and can put pressure on the amount of time they have to prepare their lessons. A 2007 report by the Cambodian NGO Education Partnership (NEP) reveals education costs for each child averaged $108 annually, or 9 percent of each family's annual income. "When you include informal and formal school costs, and private classes and snacks, many students are paying $2.50 every day," the education and capacity-building officer for the NGO Education Partnership (NEP), told IRIN. The inability to pay informal fees was the most common reason parents gave for their children dropping out, the report stated.

The 11th Inter-provincial education ministers' meeting has approved a new textbook policy. This includes that the provincial textbook boards should invite book development proposals from all stakeholders concerned, including private publishers. Submitted books would be evaluated and ranked. The Ministry of Education will establish five resource centres in each textbook board for upgrading the capacity of small publishers.