Non-governmental organizations (NGO) have stated there are corruption schemes in the Ministry of Education and Science related to budget funds allocated for the needs of schools. According to the leader of NGO Maidan Information the Ministry of Education issued an order, according to which only one firm can supply school equipment. He noted that most equipment in schools have not been updated since the Soviet times, therefore it is unclear what happens with the UAH 200 million in state funds set aside for this purpose.

Corruption Watch conducted 10 investigations into allegations of corruption in schools during the past year, making it one of its corruption hotspots for 2015, according to its annual report released on Wednesday. "In all 10 cases the school principal was found to be the main culprit involved in the corrupt activities," the organisation said. Reports on corruption in schools made up 16% of the total complaints lodged with Corruption Watch, according to the report.

In rural Cameroon, government budget allocations and expenditures are still hidden from public view. Focal Integrity Team of Cameroon (FITCAM) managed to convince public officials to disclose information of public interest to community organizations. They then supported citizens in holding authorities to account on local education projects in the Fako Division of Buea, in South West Cameroon. After exposing the corrupt practices of contractors, the Ministry of Public Contracts declared savings of 5,342, 765 CFA (approximately $5,980) through renegotiating contracts relating to a number of projects.

The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has launched a massive Anti-Corruption awareness campaign in schools. The objective of the campaign is to create awareness among students about the effects of corruption and their role in the fight against corruption as future leaders. The LACC Anti-Corruption awareness campaign is an initiative of the Commission’s Education & Prevention Division which is partnering with the Pursuit for Positive Action Youth Organization (PPAYO).

German university heads have welcomed proposals by the Stifterverband – a network of foundations, businesses and individuals supporting the country’s higher education and research – for improved transparency in collaborations between universities and industry. The recommendations, issued in mid-April, stress the “responsibility of universities, as autonomous institutions, to regularly and appropriately inform the public about their collaborative projects with industry”.

In a bid to promote district level accountability in the delivery of education services, Action Aid has introduced an innovation which will address challenges to achieving high education standards. According to an Action Aid Project Officer in Mangochi, the initiative would address social accountability by working with the district council and building the capacity of various players in decision making positions to understand inclusive and accountable governance.

In a surprise move, the president of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany this week announced plans to overhaul controversial contracts governing the use of a €150 million donation from a philanthropic foundation. Critics have charged that the agreement gives the donor too much control over publishing decisions and faculty appointments at the school’s Institute of Molecular Biology, which the foundation helped create in 2009. The move, which could eventually influence similar funding arrangements at other German universities, only partly satisfies critics. They are pushing for greater transparency from universities and donors.