In the media

The Polish government has introduced measures to combat corruption in the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR), including increasing oversight by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Reports of misuse of funds and irregularities in grant allocation have prompted investigations and led to changes in the NCBiR's operations. Additionally, efforts are underway to ensure transparent and equitable financing of universities, with plans to increase funding for science and higher education.

According to reports by the Central Office for Combating Illicit Enrichment (OCLEI) and the Office of the Auditor General (BVG), the education sector in Mali is facing revelations of financial malpractice. Average annual state subsidies to public schools amount to 49.600 billion CFA francs, but financial irregularities of more than 19.744 billion CFA francs have been revealed. Questionable practices, such as awarding subsidies to non-compliant establishments, issuing fake decrees and making irregular payments, have been exposed.

The deteriorating situation in South Waziristan’s education system demands urgent measures. A teacher from the Servaki division revealed that funds allocated for the construction of washrooms and play areas have vanished, benefiting only the office administration and school owners. Moreover, it has become a trend for school owners to extort money from teachers, often amounting to 1000 to 12000 rupees per teacher per month. Teachers who refuse to comply with such demands are subjected to false reports filed against them, resulting in inquiries initiated by the District Education Office.

Cadmus, a software platform with sophisticated learner analytics that detects the authenticity of a student’s work has been awarded $600,000 by the Breakthrough Victoria, the State Government's investment fund. Reports show a 76% decrease in academic misconduct, a 91% positive student experience and an 8.5% increase in academic performance and pass rates.

Thousands of KwaZulu-Natal children have been forced to go to school on an empty stomach. This comes after the collapse of the KZN National School Nutrition Programme due to tender irregularities and corruption. The provincial Department of Education is yet to provide information regarding this issue.

The new book “Corrupted: A study of chronic dysfunction in South African universities” is an account of chronic corruption rooted in a political economy framework combined with a lack of governance and management capacity and academic integrity. These universities are all located in resource-poor areas where the university is the main source of funding and an opportunity for corruption, ranging from contracts (such as building projects) to services (such as transport), to student accommodation and the sale of fake certificates.

Education stakeholders criticise the Federal Government (FG) decision to spend N999 million on public primary school students under the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme. Investigations revealed that some students denied the existence of the programme while food vendors claimed that the programme had become a means for public office holders to embezzle public funds, as they did not receive what the government had promised them.

Instead of following the national regulations for granting honorary academic titles, the State University of Jakarta decided to pass its own rules. While politicians want academic titles to boost their public image and reputation, they are concerned about their careers rather than the university itself. “Usually, after the title-granting ceremony, funds or projects come in from the grantee’s office,” said a senior lecturer.

Spokesmen for Ghana National School Feeding Associations called on the President and the Ministry of Education to investigate corrupt officials who exploit the system for their personal gains. During the 2019/2020 Academic year, the Ghana National School Feeding Programme paid GH¢12.9 million to individuals benefitting 511 ghost schools across the country that were not included in the school feeding programme.

The Florida Department of Education revealed that the Sarasota County School District falsified records and placed students on alternate assessment to avoid state testing or accountability in order to benefit financially. Investigators found that 27 of 66 sampled students’ files did not include sufficient documentation to demonstrate that they were placed correctly.