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Time to tackle corruption in education

In some developing countries massive amounts of funds transferred from ministries of education to schools are leaked. Bribes and payoffs in teacher recruitment and promotion and selling of exam papers can bring the teaching profession into disrepute. Illegal payments for school entrance and other hidden costs help explain low enrolment and high drop-out rates.

Research from UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) argues that the problems posed by corruption in education have been neglected for too long. It aims at integrating governance and corruption concerns into educational planning and administration.

In education, as in other sectors, corruption thrives when there is lack of competition among providers, complex but unaccountable regulation systems, limited access to information, low salary levels for public employees and weak incentive systems. Decentralisation, privatisation and sub-contracting – which might have been expected to lead to greater accountability – appear to be offering new opportunities for corruption.

The IIEP research maps corruption opportunities in the education sector. Corruption can involve all areas of planning and management – building and maintenance of schools, recruitment, promotion, teacher incentives, the supply and distribution of equipment and textbooks, allocation of allowances, examinations and out-of-school activities. Unregulated private tutoring can become a major industry, consuming a considerable amount of parents’ money and pupils’ time, distorting the curriculum and undermining the goal of equality of opportunity in education.

Teachers can be encouraged to help curb malpractice and to recognise the importance of ethical standards and professional integrity. A survey conducted in Bangladesh, India and Nepal shows that teachers and administrators welcome codes of conduct if they are developed through a participatory process involving the teaching profession. Successful enforcement of codes requires a clear definition of their aims, wide dissemination, and professional controls for their implementation, clear sharing of responsibilities and training of education personnel.

In some instances strengthening control mechanisms and regulatory bureaucracy can paralyse administration and encourage new varieties of corrupt practices. Improving access to information and giving citizens a voice in education management are essential for improving transparency and accountability in the use of educational resources.

The report concludes that the complex and sensitive issue of corruption in education should be addressed by:

Regulatory systems: involving adapting existing legal frameworks to focus more on corruption, designing clear norms and criteria for procedures (such as fund allocation or procurement), codes of practice for the education profession, and defining well-targeted measures.
Strengthening management capacities: involving increasing institutional capacities in various areas, particularly information systems, setting up effective control mechanisms against fraud as well as promoting ethical behaviour.
Enhanced ownership of the management process: involving developing decentralised and participatory mechanisms, increasing access to information, particularly with the use of ICTs, and empowering communities to give them stronger “social control”.

Source(s):
‘Ethics and Corruption in Education: An Overview’, Journal of Education for International Development, by Jacques Hallak and Muriel Poisson, 2005 Full document.
‘Academic fraud and quality assurance: facing the challenge of internalisation of higher education’, IIEP Series on Ethics and corruption in education, by Jacques Hallak and Muriel Poisson, 2005 Full document.
‘Corrupt schools, corrupt universities: what can be done?’ IIEP Series on Ethics and corruption in education, by Jacques Hallak and Muriel Poisson, forthcoming 2006

Funded by: IIP-UNESCO, Norad, Open Society Institute, The World Bank, The World Bank Institute, Utstein Anti-Corruption Resource Centre

id21 Research Highlight: 28 April 2006

Further Information:
Jacques Hallak and Muriel Poisson
Ethics and corruption in education
International Institute for Educational Planning
(IIEP-UNESCO)
7-9, rue Eugène-Delacroix
75116 Paris, France

Tel: +33 (1) 45 03 77 13
Fax: +33 (1) 40 72 83 66
Contact the contributor: j.hallak@iiep.unesco.org

Contact the contributor: m.poisson@iiep.unesco.org

Contact the contributor: etico@iiep.unesco.org

Ethics and Corruption in Education, IIEP, UNESCO

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