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The International Monetary Fund has unveiled a new blueprint for tackling the global scourge of corruption, conceding that its approach to the issue has been “uneven” in the past. The new policy isn’t perfect, but, if implemented, could represent an important step in throwing the IMF’s weight behind global fight against corruption. While these steps are welcome, by framing corruption exclusively in economic terms, the new policy overlooks the way in which corruption’s corrosive social impact has far-reaching economic implications. For example, it does not direct IMF staff to analyze or document governments’ social spending, such as on health and education.

Stakeholders in Ghana’s education sector have stressed the need for a collective effort to find immediate solutions to risks in the sector that may engender corruption. While the risks are well known and have been documented, it is important to address the root causes so as to curb them from escalating into cases of corruption in the sector. The Transparency International Regional Coordinator for West Africa said there could be no talk of sustainable development of any country without a good educational system, thus the need to address corruption and risks of corruption in the sector.

Higher education institutions play a deciding factor in the development of future leadership and national social cohesion. And here higher education leaders play a critical role. They speak publicly about the ethics of their institution; they explain the details of how their institution manages ethical transgressions on the part of administrators, faculty and students; and they are the first to admit when there has been a failure. Leaders of ethical institutions today can be held to account in a way that is unprecedented.

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is in talks with HRD Ministry, CBSE, AICTE, Medical Council of India (MCI) and other educational bodies to introduce course content on corruption and ethics to make the students aware of the scourge and its consequences. If implemented, students in schools and colleges will soon be imparted lessons on the menace of corruption, its debilitating impact on socio-economic sphere and ways of tackling it.

The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has completed the first phase of its anti-corruption awareness campaign in schools. The first phase which climaxed at the William V.S. Tubman High School in Sinkor covered forty eight schools in Monrovia. LACC Oversight Commissioner for Education & Prevention said talking to the young people of Liberia on corruption was a priority of the Commission. She noted that corruption continues to impede national development and imparting the virtues of integrity in students as future leaders was a major concern to the LACC.

Banishing academic dishonesty could help Mozambique nurture original thinkers who are economically efficient and socially suited to develop the country. But this will only be possible if administrators work with professors and students to build strong measures to combat widespread plagiarism, which is hampering the production of quality graduates.

In its 2013 Global Corruption Report: Education, Transparency International indicates that corruption in higher education is widespread in Africa. Because higher education has such an important role to play in the social and economic development of Africa, it is imperative that this issue be addressed and appropriate solutions found.

Corruption is rife in Africa, costing the continent $148 billion each year - money that could be better spent on improving education, health services or infrastructure. Citizens are demanding better. Last year, mobile penetration rose above 80% in Africa and an increasingly tech savvy citizenry are beginning to utilise this technology to hold their governments to account.

For Dutch Youth Representative for UNESCO, education has to come to the forefront of the development debate. He states that the implementation and effectiveness of many education programmes is hampered by corruption, and that young people can play a vital role in combatting this.

University education in Africa is regarded as key to a better future, and has the potential to provide the tools that people need to improve livelihoods and live with dignity. But according to Transparency International, systemic corruption is eroding benefits that could be accrued from higher education.