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An official report has disclosed the spread of financial and administrative corruption in Ministry of Education. The report contains the response provided by the Minister of Education at the request of His Highness the Premier Sheikh to the questions presented by lawmakers about the measures taken by Ministry to deal with corruption cases. He explained in the report that a huge number of cases related to forging of educational certificates and misappropriation of public funds have been referred to the Public Prosecution.

South Korea’s prestigious Ewha Womans University in Seoul – under the spotlight of investigations into a corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of the country’s former president faces renewed scrutiny. State prosecutors are seeking a seven-year jail term for the former president’s close friend for facilitating her daughter’s admission to the university and for having her high school academic grades altered. The daughter was last week extradited from Denmark to South Korea to face questioning related to her preferential admission as well as bribery allegations involving technology giant Samsung.

Lecturers in universities and colleges as well as teachers in public and private schools who are found guilty of abusing students risk having their degrees and diplomas cancelled by the Government to curb rampant abuse, especially of female learners. The Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development said there was an urgent need to curb the surge in sexual abuse of learners in schools, colleges and universities. Punishments such as imprisonment or expulsion from work was not enough since perpetrators always ended up teaching elsewhere using their diplomas or degrees.

Across the country, academies have been plagued by allegations of financial impropriety, conflicts of interest and even corruption. Unlike schools under local authority control, academies are responsible for their own financial management. Although this means that developing good corporate relations is essential, many have ended up without a proper framework for transparency and accountability. A 2014 report for parliament claimed that “conflicts of interest are common”, adding: “There is a broader sense that the academy system lacks transparency.”

A large number of universities, colleges and schools organised walks, seminars and debating competition to raise awareness among students, faculty and other staff. The Student Affairs Director at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), speaking on the occasion of a debating competition organised to mark the day, said that zero tolerance would be shown against corruption and malpractices.

The Education Ministry recently appointed 157 new secondary school head teachers and 594 deputy head teachers. The State minister for higher education has asked the newly appointed secondary school head teachers to spearhead the war against corruption in the schools they will be leading. Speaking at the start of a two day induction of newly appointed head teachers at Kitante hill secondary school, Kampala, he challenged teachers to be honest and prudently manage resources at their disposal.