Search Page

A committee in Nigeria, led by the Minister of Education, is investigating degree racketeering and degree mills. Affiliated institutions in several countries are under scrutiny. The committee seeks to address breaches in the accreditation process for both local and foreign universities, following revelations of fraudulent practices highlighted in an investigative report. Experts suggest improving accreditation processes and public awareness to combat the issue.

The former Secretary General of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has welcomed the Ministry of Education's decision to ask parents to pay school fees for students in national schools via the e-Citizen platform. This new government initiative aims to improve service delivery, bring transparency and protect both students and parents. However, some are expressing concern about the practical challenges and the country's state of readiness for such a digital transition

The Chadian Anti-Corruption Organisation (OTAC) has launched an awareness-raising campaign to educate pupils and teachers about the importance of ethics and the fight against corruption in schools. Highlighting the importance of combating the consequences of corruption, including its influence on grades and harmful practices such as sexual favours, OTAC's national coordinator stressed the need to consider the gender dimension, encouraging the empowerment of girls and the promotion of equal opportunities.

Two teachers from Dlumana High School in Manyeleti, Mpumalanga, and Tuscany Glen High School in Cape Town were dismissed for their involvement in a matric exam cheating scandal. The Mpumalanga teacher posted answers to a life sciences paper on WhatsApp during the 2022 exams, while the Cape Town teacher forwarded exam questions to students via WhatsApp. This incident is part of a broader cheating scandal involving 935 pupils.

To preserve the integrity of education, the Minister of Education has announced the randomization of questions in the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE). This measure aims to combat cheating, strengthen the integrity of the examination and ensure the credibility of the results. This measure follows the cancellation of the results of 3,500 students by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for misconduct.

Following a report exposing the widespread issue of fake degrees in Nigeria's academic institutions, the government has established an inter-ministerial committee to investigate this matter. 107 local private universities that have operated in the past 15 years will be scrutinized. A journalist revealed that a Bachelor's degree can be obtained in six weeks without attending classes.

The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) is requesting a meeting with Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Higher Education in response to allegations of corruption within the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) claims to possess recordings of meetings between the NSFAS board chairperson and a representative of NSFAS service providers. According to OUTA, these recordings suggest that service providers paid substantial kickbacks to the Higher Education Minister and the SA Communist Party (SACP) in exchange for tenders.

During the 10th session of the Conference of State Parties to the United Nations Convention Zimbabwe's Prosecutor-General announced plans to incorporate a curriculum focusing on corruption, ethics, and integrity into the country's education system, from Early Childhood Development to university levels. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC), anti-corruption education could be in the form of extra-curricular activities in primary and secondary schools.

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 Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) has launched Students Anti-Corruption Clubs (SACs) in 30 public and private secondary schools across Ekiti State. The initiative, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, aims to instill integrity and positive values in students from their early age. The ICPC has established over 2,000 anti-corruption clubs in secondary schools nationwide and introduced initiatives such as the National Values Curriculum and the National Ethics and Integrity Policy to promote moral values.