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MPs have rejected assertions by the Walter Sisulu University‚ service provider Intellimali and NSFAS that there was foul play in the "erroneous" payment of R14-million into a student’s account. The lawmakers from across the political divide pointed their guns at the three entities‚ with some telling Intellimali that they were too quick to lay criminal charges against the student‚ while the role of their employees has not been investigated in the matter. MPs also called on the higher education department to consider a review of the system used by NSFAS and universities to pay living allowances to students‚ saying there was no need for "middlemen" to be involved in the distribution of billions of rand.

Stakeholders are still awaiting a response from the education cabinet secretary to a World Bank report released earlier this year which put Kenya’s Higher Education Loans Board on the spot for mismanaging its funds at the expense of needy students. The report, indicates that the Higher Education Loans Board is spending excessive money on administrative costs that could be added to students’ loans. It recommends an overhaul of the loan disbursement and recovery mechanisms.

Zimbabwean police arrested the Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister and his deputy on Wednesday for allegedly misappropriating around US$450,000 from a manpower development fund that finances students, among other activities. The politicians were questioned and released. Days before his arrest the minister – a former politics professor at the University of Zimbabwe and researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, which accused him of embezzling research funds – issued a statement denying any wrongdoing.

The Rukwa Region has identified 2,408 students from public primary and secondary schools as ghost students following the recent verifications. The Rukwa Region Commissioner (RC), briefed the Prime Minister from the regional development reports in Namanyere Town , Nkasi District. The premier was further told that Rukwa Region continued to put into action the directives of the President by undertaking thorough verification of phantom students in all public primary and secondary schools in the region.

Ad hoc education fees have increased the last years. Many blame inadequate government input. However, even if ad hoc fees are levied, where does the cash end up? In Central China's Hunan Province, it is reported that an annually charged fee of 20 yuan (US$2.20) has been levied on every pupil for six years. The bureau also collected millions more from students for a sports facility fund but the sports centre was never built.

Four days of rioting by secondary school students in Libreville last week highlighted a growing frustration with education cutbacks. Corruption and mismanagement of existing resources have contributed to declining standards in public services. The European Union and the Islamic Development Bank had allocated funds for the upkeep of the free school bus service. A newspaper accused the government of reallocating this cash to other areas such as election campaigning.

The professoriate is a gatekeeper, determining a student's first exposure to ethical standards, traditions. Many observers of contemporary academic culture have documented cases if irresponsible and unethical behavior within the professoriate. Examples include lateness for class, use of vulgarity in scholarly forums, showing favouritism among students, improper use of campus funds, plagiarism, sexual liaisons with students, failure to properly perform administrative duties, and, most basic, unwillingness to uphold the value of truth in teaching and research.

The auditor-general is investigating the financial office of the provincial government of the Eastern Cape, which gets $827,000 a year from the federal government for a scholarship fund that is supposed to benefit 650 to 700 students from the impoverished province. At least some of the scholarships have gone unpaid as far back as 1997.