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Abuja — The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) has targeted Nigerian Universities as part of preventive measures in the long term strategy of the anti-corruption fight. The commission plans to engage management and staff of tertiary institutions to work to imbibe a culture of transparency and accountability in the overall interest of the country.

Educationists in Nairobi believe many would-be graduates are seeking essay and thesis writing services, undermining quality in higher education institutions. Such fraudulent academic businesses are said to be mushrooming around universities. While they are not a new phenomenon, they are growing along with the number of students in universities.

Sexual harassment is rarely discussed in South African universities, but an investigation into a sex scandal that has rocked the University of the Witwatersrand has brought the subject under the spotlight. Wits University is investigating some academics after its student Newspaper accused an unnamed lecturer in the political studies department of sexual misconduct.

A first-year law student at Makerere University, is eager to use "Not In My Country". The website, launched in May, asks students in Uganda to report corruption in higher education – such as lecturers trading higher grades for money or sex – and lets students rate classroom experiences. Confronting corruption, even at university level, is risky, therefore various safeguards are used to protect identities.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, in conjunction with the National Universities Commission, NUC, is set to beam its searchlight on corrupt practices in the Nigerian universities over a chain of petitions received by the anti-graft commission. Abuses highlighted include admission processes, conduct of examinations, appointments and promotion of staff, and manipulation and falsification of academic records such as transcripts.

Staff members at the University of Namibia (Unam) say they live in constant fear of victimization and threats by those in management positions who are running the institution in an autocratic manner. "A climate of fear is preventing open and transparent debate on day-to-day issues". They further accused the management of not following fair and transparent measures in the selection and appointment of all management positions at the end of last year.

A website called Notinmycountry.org targets the corruption faced by students in Uganda. The secured site enables students to report acts of corruption by individuals at universities anonymously using a randomly generated username that cannot be linked to the user.