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The former Secretary General of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has welcomed the Ministry of Education's decision to ask parents to pay school fees for students in national schools via the e-Citizen platform. This new government initiative aims to improve service delivery, bring transparency and protect both students and parents. However, some are expressing concern about the practical challenges and the country's state of readiness for such a digital transition

Five universities in the United States agreed to settle a lawsuit accusing them of colluding on financial aid and admissions violations, according to new court filings. Yale, Columbia, Duke, Brown and Emory universities will pay a combined US$104.5 million to settle their portions of the case, which was brought by five former students against more than a dozen schools. The suit alleges the universities violated antitrust law when they ignored their pledge to not weigh a student’s ability to pay tuition fees when considering whether or not to accept, a practice referred to as ‘need-blind’ admission.

A study reveals that a significant number of UK universities continue to accept millions in cash for tuition and accommodation payments, making them vulnerable to money laundering risks. Around 22 universities still accepted cash payments, with the total reaching £12m in 2019-20. The research highlights concern about anti-money-laundering guidelines not being strictly followed and universities not reporting suspicious activity, potentially endangering staff and students. The study calls for stricter legislation to address these vulnerabilities.

11 university heads have been requested to file a detailed report on the financial and academic ability of the department or school within their institutions that trains PhD students. They are expected to provide details on how money disbursed by the state was used for PhD defense panels in the period 2020-21 and 2022-23. According to the Ministry’s guidelines, PhD applicants will be approved only if they have sufficient financial and academic means to carry out research projects.

The deteriorating situation in South Waziristan’s education system demands urgent measures. A teacher from the Servaki division revealed that funds allocated for the construction of washrooms and play areas have vanished, benefiting only the office administration and school owners. Moreover, it has become a trend for school owners to extort money from teachers, often amounting to 1000 to 12000 rupees per teacher per month. Teachers who refuse to comply with such demands are subjected to false reports filed against them, resulting in inquiries initiated by the District Education Office.

The Department of Education (DepEd) was asked to take accountability and corruption cases that led to the alleged fire sale of laptops in retail and online stores. The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines said that DepEd failed to pay its contractor in the handling and distribution of billions of pesos worth of laptops to public schools which caused the subcontractors to sell the items to surplus shops to recover their investments. ACT called for a comprehensive report on how DepEd used its funds as well as a concrete plan on how public funds can be recovered, and projects still be realized.

Thousands of KwaZulu-Natal children have been forced to go to school on an empty stomach. This comes after the collapse of the KZN National School Nutrition Programme due to tender irregularities and corruption. The provincial Department of Education is yet to provide information regarding this issue.