Contractors hired to build schools in Mbale district have accused primary school management committees of demanding bribes before releasing funds under the school facilitation grant programme.

Sierra Leonean civil society activists are working to improve accountability. The National Accountability Group (NAG) – the local chapter of Transparency International – used a Public Expenditure Tracking Survey (PETS) to find out what had happened to school fee subsidies and learning materials designated for a sample of 28 schools in a rural district. NAG's survey came after an earlier Ministry of Finance PETS revealed startling figures about education corruption. In 2002 researchers found that 45.1 percent of the funds for school fees subsidies were unaccounted for and that nearly 28 percent of teaching and learning materials had disappeared.

Only 360 teachers representing 30% of the total of 1,197 teachers at the basic level in the East Gonja district are qualified. The remaining 70% are untrained. The education director indicated that though the introduction of the capitation grant had led to increased enrolment of pupils at the basic schools, very few teachers were available to teach them.

Zambia's government has decided to scrap its national bursary scheme and replace it with a transparent student loans scheme, following controversies including allegations of corruption that have dogged the bursary initiative for years.