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Following two scandals at National Taiwan University involving two politicians, the president of the Union of Private School Educators called on the Ministry of Education to ensure that university dissertation plagiarism is prevented. Academics are unlikely to blow the whistle on misconduct by politicians studying for degrees. Instead of being compromised by favours from politicians, thesis advisers should instead be gatekeepers of academic ethics.

A collective of Algerian academics draw attention to the problems eroding Algeria’s universities: violence, favouritism, deference, and recruitments based on criteria of loyalty and not on competence. According to one of the authors, “the lack of merit, the intrusion of politics in science, and the pre-eminence of administration over the educational corruption, censorship have taken precedence in the university environment”.

The nominee for Education Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of South Korea had to withdraw over allegations of misconduct during his term as president of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He favoured all his family members for prestigious Fulbright scholarships to study in the United States. He also faced allegations of improperly holding an additional position at a company irrelevant to his subject of study.

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.

Examination fraud remains the main challenge for the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB), especially amongst parents who constantly ask for their children to receive favorable treatment, regardless of whether they meet requirements. JAMB is also fighting corruption in higher education institutions that admit students outside of the guidelines of the Ministry of Education.

The rampant corruption and nepotism in appointing and promoting teachers at public universities of the country are alarming. Vice-chancellors or influential teachers use their political power to put pressure on selection committees and unions for the appointment of candidates of their choice as teachers, in violation of established standards, rules and regulations. To promote teachers based on merit at the 46 public universities, UGC submitted a draft policy to the education ministry spelling out the minimum qualifications for the appointment and promotion of public university teachers.