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Education officials have been caught helping private examination students take their exams after receiving bribes of over one million Leones, equivalent to about £110 Sterling per student. The Anti-Corruption Commission has paraded them on the streets in Freetown. Nevertheless, human rights experts are questioning the legitimacy of today’s tactics of publicly shaming the accused before they are charged to court.

A preliminary report on the number of teachers in Guinea reveals that out of 50,000 teachers concerned, 6,381 have not been registered. According to the secretary of the Free Trade Union of Teachers and Researchers of Guinea, many of the teachers listed have been excluded. This grooming of the education sector is part of the agreement to end the Guinean teachers strike signed by the union of teachers and the government on 10 January 2019.

The African Union report shows that at least 57 percent of people who make contact with schools in Malawi pay bribes. Informal payments threaten children’s rights and welfare. For example, informal charges by teachers for teaching, and for additional items such as school meals, books, uniforms or exams can drive poorer students in particular to miss school. In addition, the acquisition of fake or fraudulent qualifications affect the learning outcomes of children.

Three teachers were placed in prison for conspiracy and examination malpractice. They disobeyed the Uganda Examinations Board’ code of conduct and revealed the content of the 2018 Primary Leaving Examinations paper and then sold them to different schools in Buyende and Kamuli districts.

The standards of education in post-primary schools in Nigeria has considerably decreased. Dilapidation, unhealthy and stinking learning environments, lack of materials for required teaching and low morale in teaching staff are among the factors responsible for the critical state of the unity schools. There are also allegations of mismanagement of funds by administrators and other officials of the unity schools.

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Culture says there are three major kinds of corruption in the West Africa’s educational system: manipulation of girls, favouritism when it comes to admission into higher institutions and sex for marks. Young girls often fall prey to teachers, among others “who make the education sector the worst hit by corruption. A scholarship programme has been put in place in order to protect these young girls and strengthen the educational terrain.

According to Transparency International, 66 per cent of the money Nigerian governments allocate to education is stolen by corrupt officials. Resource misallocation, corrupt procurement, exchange of sex for grades, examination malpractices, fake qualifications, teacher absenteeism, and corrupt recruitment practices are just some examples of the challenges the education systems is facing. This affects the quality of education, inclusion and learning outcomes with devastating consequences for national economic growth.

Corruption is part of the daily life of Tanzanians. Teachers accept bribes for letting their students pass their exams and even for enrolling children in school. Moreover, they pay bribes to get a promotion or to be transferred to a more comfortable place. The “United for Our Rights” project implemented by the European Union and two Tanzanian non-governmental organizations aims to empower citizens to better understand their rights and how to address corruptions and governance issues.