Ethics and corruption in education

Studying best practices for improving transparency, integrity and performance

Combating corruption is essential for development
Several studies during the past decade have emphasized the negative impact of corruption on the economic, political and social development of countries.

Education represents the 1st or 2nd largest component of public expenditure in most countries
In a context of pressure on the public purse, and with governments demanding accountability, corruption is a major issue. The education sector is particularly concerned, due to:

• tight financial constraints
• demand for a more efficient system of management
• the impact of control, transparency and integrity on the quality and equity of education
• the unanimous conviction that the education sector needs to be 'exemplary'.

The Institute has launched a comprehensive project
which includes observation of trends, development of methodological tools, evaluation of successful experiences and the promotion of policy dialogue on how to combat corruption in education.

For 2006, the IIEP organized the following activities:

• a national seminar on 'Anti-corruption issues in education', in cooperation with OSI in Baku in February
• an international seminar on strategies for incorruptness within the education system together with NCEDR, MOE China and NATCOM China in Xi'an, China, in May
• a sub-regional course on PETS in education with the WBI in Accra, Ghana, in May
• a specialised in-country training workshop on 'Resource leakage and corruption in the education sector in Kenya', in cooperation with U4 in May
• a sub-regional seminar on 'Anti-corruption issues in education' with OSI in Montenegro, in October