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Although Chinese students have been going to America to study for decades, their numbers have grown dramatically in the past few years. Many of them have only a basic knowledge of foreign universities and difficulty making sense of complicated applications. As a result, a huge industry of education agents has arisen in the country to help guide them — and, in some cases, to do whatever it takes to ensure that they are accepted.

According to Babson Survey Research Group's last survey of online education programmes at colleges and universities, 6.1 million students took at least one online class in fall 2010 – a 10.1 percent increase over the previous year. But as the number of students in online courses increases, so too does the potential for cheating.

During the annual conference of the European Association for International Education, an expert stated that fraud in international higher education is a $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion business. He claimed that fraud is a pervasive problem and defined it broadly, situating various forms of it on a spectrum of severity – from resume embellishment, on the low end, to full-scale identity fraud on the high end.

A specter of corruption is haunting the global campaign towards higher education internationalization. New private actors have entered the sector, with the sole goal of making money. Some of them are less than honorable. Corruption is not limited to countries that may have a reputation for less than fully circumspect academic practices, but that problem occurs globally.

Once comprehensively surveyed, the magnitude and reach of fraud is becoming clear. For example, research suggests that the majority of applications from a number of large student-sending countries are either significantly embellished or outright fraudulent. As a result, tens of thousands of international students, having passed through visa and admissions systems, are enrolled all over the world based on school transcripts, financial support statements, recommendation letters or test scores that are untrue.

The "bad men" of today seem to get around. They also seem to have a certain weakness for schools and universities. According to 2011 survey data by Transparency International, globally, 35% of the population in 100 countries has no trust whatsoever in the integrity of their education institutions.

While corruption hampers all development efforts, it is a debilitating presence in the education sector. Teacher absenteeism is one of the most serious forms of corruption in education. While there are many valid reasons for a teacher to be away from the classroom, some absences are clearly illegitimate.

Since the end of the Cold War, a dramatic increase in global education has led to increased commercialization, as well as an increase in corruption. Corruption in higher education should not only be seen in terms of misuse of research funds, presentation and construction of fraudulent data, or inequitable admissions practices.

Breaking the silence over corruption in education is a mammoth ongoing task which needs a global united front in order to ensure that education goals are met and that children receive the best possible opportunities when learning.