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Corruption Watch conducted 10 investigations into allegations of corruption in schools during the past year, making it one of its corruption hotspots for 2015, according to its annual report released on Wednesday. "In all 10 cases the school principal was found to be the main culprit involved in the corrupt activities," the organisation said. Reports on corruption in schools made up 16% of the total complaints lodged with Corruption Watch, according to the report.

The Basic Education Minister briefed media on the interim report submitted by a ministerial task team set up to probe allegations of selling of teachers’ posts. The Minister said the report confirmed there is corruption and undue influence in the appointment of teachers and school principals, there are weaknesses in the system and that the authority of the state and powers of certain stakeholders in the appointment process would need to be reviewed.

The SA Democratic Teachers Union came out strongly against the basic education department on Sunday, accusing senior officials of being involved in a jobs-for-cash syndicate and claiming that high ranking officials in the education department had either accepted bribes or used undue influence to appoint teachers and principals. But this allegation was rejected by an education spokesperson.

The Basic Education Minister delivered a statement regarding the investigation into allegations of selling of posts for teachers following the release of preliminary report by her Task Team on the work done thus far. According to the minister the report, though not yet complete, has uncovered some very concerning tendencies that are being perpetuated in the appointment of teachers and principals. The full details of the report will be released at a later stage.

The private college in Athlone, Cape Town, where 46 candidates cheated during the 2014 matric exams, has fired its principal. "Thus far, the school has dismissed the principal who was head of the examinations, and has accepted the resignation of two teachers who admitted to being involved", Stonefountain College Director said.

Poor management and a lack of transparency are damaging the delivery of primary education in South Africa, according to a new report from Transparency International. The report shows that one quarter of the schools in the districts surveyed were considered to be at high risk of corruption, and one in three principals considered embezzlement a significant concern.