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Before assigning term papers for literature composition class at Gavilan College in Gilroy, Steve Schessler takes time to discuss something that has tormented teachers from the beginning of time – or at least the beginning of homework assignments. The subject he broaches is plagiarism, and a show of hands reveals that his students are not exactly clear on the concept.

Thousands of university students in Uzbekistan are being mobilized to help with the annual cotton harvest and some say they are working under abusive conditions, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. The harvest lasts from the beginning of the academic year in September until late autumn and only students at prestigious universities in Tashkent are exempt from taking part. The use of student and child labor to pick cotton violates state and international labor laws.

Following a discussion with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the National Education Ministry announced a plan to include an anti-corruption module in the 2011 curriculum.

The Italian cabinet has ordered the roll-out of a national accreditation scheme for academics to stamp out nepotism. Under the new scheme, commissions of five senior academics appointed in each university will accredit applicants for associate or full professorships on the basis of the quality and quantity of their academic output.

A cheating scandal discovered among students vying for entrance to some of Japan's top universities has rocked the nation and set off a national soul search over young people and how dishonesty should be dealt with. The cheaters used a web bulletin board to ask questions while university entrance tests were underway.

Last week, Kenya fired its Higher Education Minister who had been suspended from cabinet last year following allegations of graft.

An official at the Ministry of Education was yesterday charged with Sh9 million fraud. It is alleged that the official in question acquired over Sh2.2 million fraudulently in April 2009 and gave a false impress of over Sh7 million in May of the same year.

A world-renowned expert on the reduction of risks involved in heart surgery has been dismissed from Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, after violation of academic integrity. In one study it was found that he used patient data without permission, used fictitious data, and that two reports were submitted to conferences which included knowingly unreliable data.

A Tilburg University inquiry has recommended that details of forgery of documents and fraud committed by a leading social psychologist should be passed to the Dutch public prosecution service.

The number of fake universities operating in the country has risen from 44 to 51 National Universities Commission (NUC) has alerted. According to the weekly news bulletin of NUC, eight of the universities had been taken to court, while some are currently undergoing investigations.