Following the impact of Covid-19 on the education sector, learning institutions worldwide are adopting digital tools that help assessors identify original content, and are working with their faculty to develop an awareness of academic integrity. The Learning Spiral survey shows over 70 per cent of students in India admitted to cheating in online exams, and others admitted to copying answers word-for-word without offering citations.

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has booked eight persons, including four former employees of the varsity and four private persons for criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, and falsification of accounts. While perusing the details of registration and tuition fees of 16,580 students, the DVAC officials found that the serial number of one demand draft was used multiple times against several students.

The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi recently granted permission to the Anti-Corruption Branch to conduct an investigation against four serving and retired vice-principals of Delhi government schools under the Directorate of Education who allegedly paid salaries in the name of 'ghost guest teachers'. An audit carried out in 2018 observed that salaries were paid to individuals who did not work for the school, including the wife of a vice-principal.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has taken strict action against 21 fake universities discovered across the country, including seven in Delhi. The information about these fake institutions came to light through public protests, student complaints, and references from states, Union Territories, and even local authorities. The UGC has issued warnings against these universities and published their names on its official website.

A survey of 51,000 college and high school students reveals that the average percentage of plagiarism before and after Covid increased from 26% to 45% in the Netherlands, from 37% to 49% in France and from 42% to 53% in India. The new anti-plagiarism software CopyLeaks uses Artificial Intelligence to detect plagiarism and copyright infringement. CopyLeaks can be used as a site license purchased by a school, institution, or publication, by individual writers who pay based on the number of words and pages checked.

Gulbarga University vice-chancellor caught five students copying in the first semester examinations during a visit to a college in Kalaburagi district. Three students have also been arrested for using mobile phones during an examination in another incident. Gulbarga University authorities have been accused of leaking question papers and encouraging examination malpractices. In May, the BCom examination had to be postponed after the fifth-semester question paper for Management Accounting got leaked.

The Calcutta High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the alleged irregularities in the appointments of 269 teachers by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education in State-run schools. The 269 candidates were overmarked for a wrong question out of around 23 lakh aspirants in the Teachers’ Eligibility Test in 2014.

At an official meeting, the Minister of Higher Education announced that measures will be taken to preserve the confidentiality of examinations in higher education institutions. Questionnaires and answer sheets should be sent via geo-located vehicles no earlier than 30 minutes before the start of the examination. A WhatsApp number has been issued on which complaints about malpractices may be forwarded.

A report from Calcutta High Court shows how the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (WBSSC) allegedly misused the Right to Information (RTI) Act to facilitate illegal recruitment. The chairman of the WBSSC had instructed the chairpersons of the five regional commissions to scan and store their signatures on the WBSSC’s application server. These were used as illegal digital signatures for over 500 fake recommendation letters, allegedly hand-delivered to undeserving candidates.