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A number of students in a law school were caught cheating in exams; one student was found writing answers already copied in a smart watch. The student either programmed answer sheets or recorded course materials into the device. One practicing lawyer in Abuja said such attitude may have long-term effects on those involved; it had undermined the integrity and independence of the graduands and could possibly increase the likelihood of the abuse of the attorney-client privilege as well as create weak industry-wide anti-corruption standards.

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.

A Wall Street Journal analysis of data from more than a dozen large US public universities found that in the 2014-15 school year, the schools recorded 5.1 reports of alleged cheating for every 100 international students. They recorded one such report per 100 domestic students. Faculty and domestic students interviewed said it appears that substantial numbers of international students either don’t comprehend or don’t accept US standards of academic integrity.

The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education has ended the first phase of establishing Student Integrity Clubs in Liberian Schools. The project is being sponsored by the UNDP under its STAOP Project. The first phase of the project targeted several high schools with the project expected to be extended to schools throughout the country. The initiative by the LACC and the Ministry of Education to establish Student Integrity Clubs is aimed at providing and sharing corruption information among students as future leaders of Liberia.

A developmental university must have well-crafted research ethical standards anchored in principles of democracy, social justice and human rights. Research ethical standards are important as they provide guidelines for researchers to ensure that specific values like integrity, transparency, respect, objectivity and accountability are strictly observed; they generate confidence in and support for research among both domestic and international research communities; and they help establish trust between researchers and research participants.

It has been argued, that the way to address the problem of unethical student recruitment agencies is to ban them. But are all education agents inherently bad? No. Are there serious issues and potential pitfalls? Absolutely. Although the use of education agents is fraught with potential problems, it is possible to develop ways to address legitimate concerns related to the holy trinity of accountability, integrity and transparency.

Experts from many African and European countries have blamed lack of transparency and unethical practices as some of the reasons preventing Nigerian universities from making the list of best global institutions. Transparency in admissions, teachings and university administration were some of the criteria used for judging the best universities worldwide. They further said that Nigerian universities must train students on character and integrity for them to compete globally.

As Liberia enters its second decade of peace, its music industry continues to gain popularity. The Accountability Lab, an OSIWA partner, has been working with hip co (a Liberian urban music genre) musicians in Liberia to promote integrity and combat corruption. A recent performance at the University of Liberia (UL) highlighted the challenges faced by Liberian students in order to register for classes.

Early research findings on academic corruption suggest that accreditation and quality assurance bodies in some countries are having success in handling the problem, but questions about how to deal with the unwieldy issue remain a work in progress. And while the topic is complex and multifaceted, research on student attitudes towards cheating offers some insights into how an emphasis on integrity might reverse the problem, which has long been the scourge of the higher education accreditation profession.

Hackers attempted to change grades at a Fairfax County high school, using a cunning attack that began with an email from a school panel charged with upholding honor and integrity, according to a search warrant. Oakton High School in Vienna, Va., is just the latest in a string of secondary schools, colleges and universities nationwide to be targeted — often by meddling students — in attempts to turn F’s into A’s in virtual grade books.