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To enhance teacher’s standards and accountability in education systems, Malawi’s Ministry of Education is developing its teachers’ policy, including the Teachers Code of Conduct (COC) with the support from UNESCO’s Norwegian Teacher Initiative. The CoC will include teachers from Teacher Training Colleges and should denounce corporal punishment.

Under the Organic Law on Intercultural Education (LOEI) and government directives on measures for prevention, containment, the emotional and economic stability of the educational community, the Ministry of Education prohibits any type of financial contribution by parents for the renovation of classroom façades or any other end-of-school-year expenditure. The Ministry guarantees the right to free education, monitors irregularities, and punishes any cases of misconduct.

School admissions in Delhi follow a point system based on the guidelines laid out by the Department of Education: proximity of school from the residence, presence of older siblings studying in the same school, etc. In order to ensure admission of their children into Delhi’s leading private schools, parents commit blatant forgery and fraud. The government has therefore put in place new tools to make the admission procedure more transparent.

The African Union report shows that at least 57 percent of people who make contact with schools in Malawi pay bribes. Informal payments threaten children’s rights and welfare. For example, informal charges by teachers for teaching, and for additional items such as school meals, books, uniforms or exams can drive poorer students in particular to miss school. In addition, the acquisition of fake or fraudulent qualifications affect the learning outcomes of children.

Anti-corruption advocacy group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued Delta State governor over poor funding of primary education in his state. His administration has received N7.8bn from Universal Basic Education Commission, apart from other funds from the Federal Government. Around 1,124 primary schools across the state are in a shambles, with very poor teaching facilities. Moreover, SERAP pointed out the case of a student who was sent home because her parents could not afford the illegal school fee of N900.

As another school year begins in Afghanistan, the country continues to face insecurity, an epidemic of corruption within its education system and old customs that keep many students and qualified teachers away from classrooms. Violence and corruption are problems that can hardly be solved on grassroots level only. Increased violence forced more than 1,000 schools to shut their doors since 2016 and according to a report compiled by the country’s independent corruption monitor, corruption is “devastating” the education system and the country.