Cheating in school is an age-old problem, but new technologies have made it easier. Mobile phones in particular allow students to peek at notes during exams, text their friends for homework answers, or even use AI apps to solve a problem. Educators and institutions are deploying various measures to combat cheating. But is it enough to safeguard the integrity of exams?

According to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, the widespread incidents of sextortion and academic fraud at the country's higher and tertiary learning institutions is a serious threat to the integrity of the degrees and diploma qualifications.

Two Norwegian politicians face plagiarism accusations regarding their master's theses, leading to investigations by their universities. The scandals have sparked debates over academic integrity, with calls for stricter penalties for plagiarism. The incidents have also raised concerns about the treatment of students versus politicians and the need for national regulations on plagiarism. Experts stress the importance of promoting ethical research norms and integrity within universities.

A recent investigation by Science Magazine exposes a rise of paper mills resorting to bribery and corruption to secure publication of fake or substandard papers. These organizations pay off journal editors, leading to a network of deceitful practices that threaten the integrity of scholarly publishing. The investigation reveals widespread involvement of editors and prestigious institutions in accepting bribes. Such unethical practices bypass the peer-review process, undermining the quality and reliability of published research.

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.

The Ministry of Education and the Unité de Lutte Contre la Corruption (Anti-Corruption Unit) have launched "integrity clubs" at the Haitian-Canadian secondary school, also involving the Lycée National in Pétion-Ville. Each club, made up of eight members, aims to involve pupils in the fight against corruption through self-learning and civic education from an early age. School headmasters and representatives welcomed the initiative, stressing the importance of training young people to become citizens of integrity to build a new Haiti.

The Ministry of Education plans to incorporate corruption studies into Malawi's primary school curriculum to instil values against corruption. They launched a sourcebook for teachers at Dzenza Primary School, emphasizing the importance of integrity in children and the need to resist corruption. The initiative received endorsement from the UNDP, focusing on behavior change through education. Civil society activists urge the fight against corruption, attributing economic challenges to past practices and calling for investigations into alleged corrupt activities during previous administrations.

The certification of textbooks by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERD) costs N300 per page, and four copies must be submitted for assessment, which occurs irregularly and can take months or years. While NERDC approval grants access to Federal Government schools, getting state-level approval requires further steps across Nigeria's 36 states. Despite these procedures, unapproved textbooks lacking ISBN numbers infiltrate schools through corruption, bypassing regulations. Efforts to tackle piracy and enforce the use of approved books remain ongoing and vital for the education system's integrity.

In the book "Corruption in Higher Education: Global Challenges and Responses," 34 experts shed light on various corruption issues in higher education: contract cheating and outsourcing assignments; ambivalent hiring processes; fake universities that take various forms, from profit-driven schemes to students buying degrees without fulfilling obligations; corruption research involves scholars, administrators, and agencies, united against academic corruption. Future steps include integrity theory development, examining secondary education's impact, leveraging technology, avoiding social group stigmatization, and fostering global cooperation.

At a webinar organized by the University of Nairobi, a professor of curriculum and instruction at Texas Tech University challenged university faculty members to adopt innovative online assessment techniques that limit student cheating and implement academic integrity policies. Cheating can be limited by disabling certain functions, such as copy and paste, and by using software to prohibit access to certain applications, such as email, or to disable screen sharing. Systems whereby teachers are alerted when students attempt to cheat, and authentication can also help curb risks.