New IIEP online course on corruption in education

The IIEP online course takes place over 7 weeks, beginning on September 21st and ending on November 6th. The course has registered 77 participants from 13 countries, namely Afghanistan, Bahrein, Cook Islands, Kenya, Eswatini, Myanmar, Oman, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Tanzania, USA, and Uzbekistan. Participants include members of ministries of education, legal advisors, prosecutors, university administrative staff, civil society representatives, and representatives from UNHCR and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

Participants expressed a common motivation for engaging in the course, that is, the desire to enhance their understanding and acquire new skills to improve transparency and accountability within the education sector of their country:

I'm glad to be attending this course and happy to meet new people. I expect to know better tools to address accountability, anti-corruption, and transparency issues, which means we in the education system provide an accountable platform to fight corruption adequately. Participant from Afghanistan

There are many reasons why I want to follow this course. It will definitely enhance my knowledge and understanding of the current situation of the education sector in Myanmar. I am fully aware that a systematic management approach must be set in place to handle corruption on an effective basis. Participant from Myanmar

I hope to make a difference in my field by raising the awareness of people around me about corruption and its serious consequences. I'm pleased to be part of this large group. Participant from Oman

I expect to be updated, re-oriented, and learn new concepts, principles, tools, and techniques on transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption measures. Participant from the Philippines

Participants are required to complete both individual and group assignments as a part of this course. Group assignments focus on the design of a country project, in which the participants work together on a specific area of education planning and management as they progress through course modules. Those modules deal with the following topics: understanding corruption risks in the education sector, learning different corruption diagnostic tools and formulating anti-corruption strategies to improve transparency and accountability in the education sector.

Corruption continues to remain a complex and multifaceted challenge in the achievement of SDG 4. In their opening remarks during the online course’s orientation webinar organized in mid-September, the course instructors Muriel
Poisson; and Jacques Hallak* acknowledged the unique role of this new cohort in the context of the current global pandemic. They also encouraged participants to make the most of the opportunity to learn from each other:

We are enthusiastic to start this course with you even under adverse conditions. You should be persistent and not shy. It is your time to take over. Own the course!

The course builds on the success of similar online courses organized by IIEP under its ongoing programme on Ethics and Corruption in Education, which have received the quality certification endorsement by Quality Matters.

Additional information about the course can be found here.

* Former IIEP-UNESCO director