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The National Accountability Bureau has opened an investigation against the Higher Education Commission(HEC) Chairman for corruption, irregularities, mismanagement and appointment of consultants. Dozens of consultants were hired based on the high salaries of directors, some of whom were not only retired but also fresh graduates. According to University officials, the alleged HEC chairman was bullied for trying to mend a broken system.

According to a report at the Thompson Rivers University, the number of academic integrity cases has doubled. They include 514 incidents of plagiarism, 342 incidents of cheating, 5 incidents of fabrication and 347 incidents of academic misconduct for 1,208 cases recorded from September 2019 to August 2020. 80 students have been subject to suspension by November 2020.

A recent study warns policy-makers in developing countries about the poor quality of research evaluation. The findings show the infiltration of journals suspected of predatory practices into the citation database Scopus. 324 journals that appear both in Beall’s lists and on Scopus and 164,000 articles published from 2015-17 were identified. As a result, the Scopus Content Selection and Advisory Board removed underperforming journals.

The “proliferation” of essay mills over the past 5 years has led to an increase in the number of plagiarism cases. Last year, 338 cases were reported by universities in the North, with the majority of cases at Aberdeen University and Robert Gordon University. 1,000 essay mills companies are currently operating across the UK. Some are allegedly involved in exploiting graduates overseas where they are forced to work 12-hour shifts producing essays for as little as $1 an hour.

To help combat cheating and plagiarism during the pandemic and to encourage studying and preparedness a University of Prince Edward Island professor developed the testing method called TSINC. This method stands for time-pressed, sequential, individualized, not searchable, and calibrated. Each student receives a unique exam of 50 question orders, with 30 minutes to answer which they are not allowed to go back to.

The position of Director of the International Human Rights Programme at the University of Toronto was offered to an "academically unworthy" individual after US$8 million was donated to the university's medical schools. A US banking company, which reportedly made large donations through its foundation to at least 60 universities, demanded to teach a course from a particular political perspective. As a result, colleges and universities in North America are developing written policies to prevent undue influence from donors.

A study from the University of California reveals rankings may be distorted by the business activities of the ranker, including selling consulting, analytics and other services to universities. Findings show that Russian universities using services provided by QS, a major ranking company, have increased their positions in the QS World University Rankings regardless of improvements in the quality of their institutions.

Due to a glitch in the online testing program, 31 students out of a class of 137 were involved in a cheating incident at Southern University's School of Nursing. The students used their cell phones and notified other students through a group text message that the cameras were off so that they could cheat. With the exam being compromised, the faculty administered a different exam that covered the same content.

A recent 2021 study shows that academics from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries accounted for 17 of the top 20 countries where academics publish in predatory journals. The OIC’s share of global publications has increased to over 8% in 2018. Standards have been compromised in relation to the impact of the number of published papers and citations on staffing, promotions, careers, and benefits.

The Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) protested the dismissal of Maasai Mara University chief finance officer, who was among the staff who blew the whistle on the misappropriation of KES190 million (US$1.8 million). KUSU also called for the dissolution of the entire Maasai Mara University Council by the Ministry of Education and the removal of the acting vice-chancellor for covering up the case.