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Allegations of corruption and immorality within the Congolese university community have been aired in a new book by a former education minister and current professor of languages at the University of Kinshasa. He proposed lowering student numbers to a controllable level to guarantee efficiency during examinations and academic deliberations.

Nationwide school audits were this year expected to cover over 80 percent of the 8 179 schools in the country, of which 5 805 are primary schools, while 2 374 are secondary schools. While the exercise has so far been producing results and unearthing massive irregularities and abuse of funds at Government school institutions, there are reports that schools are being asked to fund the exercise.

The ongoing Government audit of schools across the country has unearthed massive abuse of levies collected from parents and guardians purportedly to fund development of learning infrastructure. From the 1 800 (18 percent) schools audited so far, there are indications of massive doctoring of accounting records by the schools.

As part of his duties, a clerical officer at the ministry has seen the suspension and even the dismissal of a number of teachers found to have committed wrong in their schools either by abusing their pupils or by embezzling funds. He is now under the microscope himself, accused of holding fraudulent qualifications.

The report focuses on the development of teaching materials to raise awareness among students of the problem of corruption in schools in Cameroon (including intimidation, harassment, etc.). The materials are varied and include whistle-blowing boxes.

An anti-corruption mechanism has been set up in three Côte d'Ivoire towns (Divo, Korhogo and Bouaké). This is a toll-free number that allows victims of corruption in schools to report the perpetrators and any acts of corruption without risk of reprisals.

A mixture of endemic poverty and corruption in the education system and government abuses have not allowed children in rural areas access to basic education. Investment in basic education is crucial for future development, as 40% of the Honduran population is under 14.

The Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister has been accused of hijacking the Education Transition Fund (ETF) where he allegedly set up parallel structures in a bid to divert money to finance his cash-strapped MDC party's activities.