Integrity analysis

Education is vulnerable to misconduct.

The credentials it delivers (qualifications, diplomas, degrees) are sought after as they embody the hopes of families and students for a better future, the resources it absorbs are substantial and thus tempting, and its participants (students, parents, teachers and administrators) depend on each other in ways that can promote complicity. Results of perception surveys tell us that the risks are real.

Year by year, a concerningly high share of people across the world think that their schools and universities are corrupt or plagued by irregularities. Many survey respondents have school-aged children or study themselves, and have experienced corruption in education directly by engaging in it.

Countries, their governments, and civil society organisations are aware of this challenge and attach high priority to the task of finding workable solutions. The Center for Applied Policy and Integrity supports them in this effort with evidence of why participants in education resort to misconduct. The answers are delivered by the INTES assessments. They allow for solutions that address those reasons and make corruption prevention in education relevant, effective and sensitive to the particularities of the education sector.

In carrying out INTES assessments, we rely on regular, readily available data on education system performance, and contextualise that data through a mix of careful desk research and site visits to the countries assessed. The findings pinpoint shortcomings in education policy and practice that supply education participants with incentives and opportunities to engage in misconduct.

We have observed that education improvement, if correctly targeted, can be highly effective in reducing demand and closing opportunities for corruption. The assessment is tailored to the needs of each country. They point out which specific aspects of national education and anti-corruption policy need adjustment, and how to use the proposed changes to strengthen the integrity of schools and universities and support them in resisting corruption.