Corruption undermines right to education

From ghost schools and fake diplomas to undue corporate influence in university research – these are just some of the things corrupting the education sector and need to be tackled by governments across the globe, Transparency International said.
While every child has the right to free primary education, corruption has created a formidable obstacle to ensuring that every boy and girl can go to school. Corruption in the education system creates costs – both explicit and implicit – that block this right from being realised. In 2011, 57 million children were still not enrolled in primary school despite the global promise of education for all, according to the “Global Corruption Report: Education”.
Transparency International’s 2013 Global Corruption Barometer found that almost one in five people worldwide paid bribes to education services last year. In the world’s poorest countries, this number rises to one in three.
The report, released on October 1, details several practical steps to prevent the abuse of power, bribery and secret dealings from corroding the right to education. It calls on governments, international organisations, businesses and civil society to ensure good governance is promoted in education policy all over the world.
“For schools to educate the corruption fighters of tomorrow, they need to be free from corruption themselves. Without a strong dose of integrity, our schools and universities will fail to provide future leaders with the basic tools needed to succeed, and more importantly, to combat graft,” Huguette Labelle, chairperson of Transparency International, said. “With nearly a fifth of the world’s population between 15 and 24 years old, young people have the potential to stop corruption both as the citizens of today and as the leaders of tomorrow.”
The report sheds light on the many shapes and forms of corrupt practices in education, be they the embezzlement of national education funds, hidden school costs or the buying and selling of fake degrees.
The implementation of anti-corruption basics such as access to information on education policy, codes of conduct for educators, participation in governance, and clear systems of oversight and accountability across the education sector would ensure that the funds end up where they should – building schools, paying teachers and buying textbooks.
The report said corruption has undermined the reputation of the education sector in many countries. To stop corruption from becoming commonplace, promoting integrity among young people is critical to building a better future, the organisation said.
“From Chile to Morocco to Thailand, many of Transparency International’s chapters have proven that developing wide-ranging programmes that integrate anti-corruption initiatives in school curricula and classroom activities are vital to ending corruption in education,” Labelle said.