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Academic corruption linked to the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the urgency of strengthening transparency and accountability in African universities. Such corruption includes research malpractice, questionable research management, mismanagement of research funds and procurement fraud. Several university officials bypassed public procurement procedures for the purchase of materials and equipment for coronavirus research. 33 papers were identified as unsuitable for public use and either retracted, withdrawn, or noted with concern.

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.

The Florida Department of Education revealed that the Sarasota County School District falsified records and placed students on alternate assessment to avoid state testing or accountability in order to benefit financially. Investigators found that 27 of 66 sampled students’ files did not include sufficient documentation to demonstrate that they were placed correctly.

The Department of Justice arrested Texas A&M University (TAMU) engineering professor who allegedly conducted research for NASA hiding his affiliation and collaboration with a Chinese university and a Chinese-owned company for several years. He willingly accepted US funding and defrauded his university disregarding rules under NASA during his contract at TAMU.

A 2019 report showed that $6.5 billion in foreign gifts to U.S. institutions were not reported. To hold colleges and universities accountable and ensure that their reporting is full, accurate, and transparent, the Department of Education enforces Section 117 of the Higher Education, which requires colleges to report all gifts and contracts involving foreign sources worth $250,000 or more.

Data from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights shows that 29 per cent of teachers were considered chronically absent, missing more than 10 days of school in 2015-2016. This is near twice the 15 per cent of students who are chronically absent. As a result, a number of school districts included teacher and student absence measures in their school accountability system.