Search Page

In order to combat corruption, one first has to recognize it and stop treating it as something “normal.” Activists argue that public education is the key to reversing attitudes that allow societies to remain complacent to corruption. In this context, three youth anti-corruption networks from Central and Eastern Europe are sharing their experiences in a new documentary series about corruption in education, which is now available online.

The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has launched a massive Anti-Corruption awareness campaign in schools. The objective of the campaign is to create awareness among students about the effects of corruption and their role in the fight against corruption as future leaders. The LACC Anti-Corruption awareness campaign is an initiative of the Commission’s Education & Prevention Division which is partnering with the Pursuit for Positive Action Youth Organization (PPAYO).

Following last month’s report by Transparency International, which ranked Rwanda as the fourth least corrupt country in Africa, The New Times spoke to the country’s Chief Ombudsman to make sense of current efforts against corruption. She says Rwanda can do more to fight corruption, starting by educating those who are still young by including values of integrity on the curriculum for primary schools. Teaching the right values to young people is key in fighting against corruption and it is in line with the country’s anti-graft policy.

In rural Cameroon, government budget allocations and expenditures are still hidden from public view. Focal Integrity Team of Cameroon (FITCAM) managed to convince public officials to disclose information of public interest to community organizations. They then supported citizens in holding authorities to account on local education projects in the Fako Division of Buea, in South West Cameroon. After exposing the corrupt practices of contractors, the Ministry of Public Contracts declared savings of 5,342, 765 CFA (approximately $5,980) through renegotiating contracts relating to a number of projects.

Following Transparency International’s latest Global Corruption Report on education, the Council of Europe is taking action to tackle corruption in education and to develop a Pan-European culture based on ethical principles: our new Ethics in Education Platform (ETINED) is to be launched on October 1 in Prague.

In its 2013 Global Corruption Report: Education, Transparency International indicates that corruption in higher education is widespread in Africa. Because higher education has such an important role to play in the social and economic development of Africa, it is imperative that this issue be addressed and appropriate solutions found.