A survey undertaken by Transparency International revealed that the education sector is heavily affected by corruption, being at least the third most corrupt public service. It is proposed that citizens' charters be prepared for improving public servants' accountability.

Fees for manipulating entrance test scores are between $80 to $20 000 for the most popular programs, such as computer science, medicine or engineering. Many feel the only way to clean up the system is to expand educational opportunities.

Japan. Kenya. Mexico. United Kingdom. USA: People from the Kenyan Ministry of Education participated in selling fake diplomas. In the USA and Mexico, students buy term papers and admissions essays online. People propose to take tests for others in China.

Corruption in admissions procedure, the sitting of exams and the allocation of scholarships is rampant in Chinese universities. One positive outcome of a recent plagiarism scandal is the design of a code of conduct for students and professors by Beijing's University.

In 1998, the education watchdog group from Bombay, the Forum for Fairness in Education, won a landmark case that clamped down on secretive admissions practices. The court ruled that all colleges and universities must make entrance-examination scores public, to ensure that admissions are based on merit, and not money passed under the table.

A study conducted by students at Chulalongkorn University shows that large numbers of students are climbing the academic ladder not by hard work and smarts, but by cheating. Assignments were sold at a rate of 15 to 30 baht per page, depending on the subject matter and the urgency. Students could purchase multiples choice in advance or written exams.

For many years now in China, plagiarism among professors and cheating among students have been acceptable practices in a society that has shown little awareness of intellectual property-rights protection almost anything can be copied or counterfeited if the price is right.

A militant group in the Indian state of Manipur shot and wounded seven people this month for allegedly helping students to cheat on their tests. The shootings took place one morning at three testing sites where college students were taking their annual exams.