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Most PhD holders in Morocco do not trust universities' processes for recruiting assistant professors due to suspicions of political affiliation, nepotism, and bribery. 80% of PhD holders indicated that the existence of several unethical practices is the main reason behind their lack of trust, including political affiliation (86%), bribery (68.3%), relationship, affinity, and family relations (48.8%). Over 88% of those who obtained their PhDs in the past year said they had not had a chance to go through the oral recruitment interview, with only 3% saying they had two interviews.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) is investigating dozens of cases involving politicians, State and public officers over forged degrees, illegal allocation of resources, irregular employment, and approval of suspected pending bills. According to EACC’s chief executive officer, money and assets will be recovered from politicians who used forged academic certificates to win elective posts, even from those who retired.

A Los Angeles politician and a former dean at the University of Southern California (USC) were indicted on federal corruption charges. The case involves a bribery scheme in which a relative of the dean received substantial benefits from the university in exchange for the politician supporting county contracts while he served on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

According to a survey conducted by Transparency International Madagascar, 84% of students are victims of sexual corruption. The most common modus operandi is first to lure a student and then offer a good grade in exchange for a sexual favour. The Confederation of Teachers' Unions has denounced the existence of a protection network for guilty teachers within the Ministry of Higher Education.

On the English version of its website, Kim Il Sung University has listed past, current and alleged partnerships with “sister universities” and claims, “international academic exchanges are in full swing”. Many of the named universities disagree and do not want to be associated with North Korea. They try to have their names removed from the website, but so far the University has failed to respond to their requests.

A recent report highlights risks of investment of funds into the UK education sector by African elites, including “politically exposed persons”, some of whom have been convicted of corruption or whose assets have been seized by the UK. According to the report, the gap between what west African PEPs pay for a UK education and what they can legitimately afford is a significant red flag. Relatively lax anti-money laundering rules in the British education sector mean that school administrators and admissions staff are potentially complicit in illegal flows of money.

The Director of the now-closed Christian University of Rwanda and the former Prime minister received a three-year jail sentence and a fine of RWF892.2 million (US$907,000) after he was found guilty of issuing cheques that bounced and for failing to pay the teaching and administrative staff. The Rwanda Investigation Bureau also arrested the former vice-Chancellor of the University of Kibungo for alleged nepotism and mismanagement of the university’s finances.

Two vice-chancellors and a former Rwandan prime minister were accused of nepotism and mismanagement of university finances. Three private universities were shut down by the Ministry of Education from 1 July 2020 after failing to meet education quality standards and to pay staff, despite strict rules for students who are required to pay fees before being admitted. The Higher Education Council will continue to evaluate institutions regularly and take action against universities with similar cases before schools reopen in September.

Corruption is “a pernicious undercurrent” in every country, writes a researcher at International Higher Education at Boston College. In Armenia, Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine, instructors face the dilemma of either ignoring cheating or taking the risk of dismissing students whose fees sustain the university. One study in Russia found that 72% of students in public universities had plagiarized from the internet. In India, the “survival of many small private universities depends on payments to government officials, recruiters and visiting committees, and fees paid by non-attending students”.