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Panel discussion on “Corruption in Higher Education in Serbia and How to Prevent it”
Violations of academic ethics could be overcame with greater student participation and full implementation of reforms in line with the Bologna process, were several main conclusions of the meeting.
Belgrade, September 29th 2011 - A panel discussion on “Corruption in Higher Education in Serbia and How to Prevent it”, organized by the Centre for the Development of Education of the Belgrade Open School (BOS), presented the key findings of a four-year monitoring research of corruption in higher education, conducted on a representative sample of the University of Belgrade.
The Anti-Corruption Student Network in Southeastern Europe since 2003 has been monitoring the phenomenon of corruption in higher education in Serbia and surrounding countries. Results of national surveys have shown in 2005, and the latest results confirm, that corruption is still present in all segments of higher education in Serbia - from admission until graduation. Although recent indicators suggest reduced rate of bribery, problems are still highly visible in the following areas: non-transparent financial flows of higher education institutions, preparatory classes for admission to universities, cheating on exams, private tutoring, student fees and forced selling of textbooks etc. Because of these factors, the work of all higher education institutions in Serbia can not be evaluated as transparent.
Igor Pucarević, co-founder of Anti-Corruption Student Network and Project Manager at the Centre for Development of Education of the Belgrade Open School, presented a mechanism for monitoring corruption in higher education that is designed so to improve student representatives’ participation in decision-making process at their higher education institutions. Over the past four years BOS students have developed this mechanism in cooperation with regional partners, as well as recommendations for combating this phenomenon, which can be found at the www.serbia.see-corruption.net. “The problem of corruption in higher education is not a problem of individual faculty, professors or students. All faculties and universities in Serbia have a common denominator – disrespecting existing regulations and the absence of ethical rules. This allows faculties and administrations, as well as teachers and students, to act contrary to academic ethics - without having to bear any consequences”, said Igor Pucarević. “Solution to the problem of relevant institutions and universities is to comply with legal obligations and to ensure that students participate in decision-making process. It is upon students to recognize and ensure the preservation of academic values and ethics through the introduction of new, and maintaince of existing, regulations and standards, because otherwise their knowledge and degrees will lose their value”, added Pucarević.
Prof. Čedomir Čupić, Board Member of the Anti-Corruption Agency of Serbia, referred to the fact that some parts of the fight against corruption in Serbia’s higher education remain unresolved. “Corruption is a systemic problem, because our universities are quasigovernmental, regarding the way how they are ensuring their funding sources, while Bologna process itself was obstructed. While some individuals are making efforts to root out corruption, the others are continuously creating it. If we remember the great scandal which was at the Law Faculty in Kragujevac, when the then Deputy Education Minister Emilija Stanković was arrested for corruption, we see that these court cases are still without an epilogue, in spite of the evidence presented publicly. Dealing with the corruption is not easy, but it must continue to persevere, and the role of media is especially important in monitoring the phenomenon of corruption”, said prof Čupić.
Prof. Dr. Žarko Obradović, the Minister of Education and Science, said that adoption of the Law on Higher Education in 2005 made a landmark that sets new European standards, but that resistance also appeared concerning its implementation, not only by academic staff, but also by the students themselves. “We all want better education system, but nobody wants to respect the new rules”, said Minister Obradović. “It is important to recognize and nurture the true value of education. We must have clear and accessible laws and statutes of the faculties that are in compliance with these laws. Regulations must not leave a doubt on how universities should behave. Students need to know them, and the administrations need to be transparent”. Minister concluded that the only system solutions can lead to eradication and diminishing of corruption, but the part of the answer must be given by the academic community. “Of utmost importance are rules of conduct and it is not easy to solve accumulated problems in such a way that everyone would be satisfied. Student involvement at all levels, transparent laws, rewards and sanctions, promoting knowledge and teaching staff are part of the solution”.
Miša Živić, President of the Students’ Conference of Universities of Serbia, the highest student representative body in the country, said that “a major problem in the higher education system in Serbia is incomplete implementation of existing legislation by the higher education institutions. The State must provide adequate law enforcement, especially in the part with the rules of the study. Also, it is necessary to create institutional framework for capacity building of student representative bodies, which would allow greater degree of independence of the student representatives, as well as certain and stable funding for projects and activities through which students could identify, define and make models in order to solve specific problems at their faculties and universities”.
Key findings of the monitoring research, with a student guide for the monitoring of corruption can be downloaded from the website serbia.see-corruption.net
America's biggest teacher and principal cheating scandal unfolds in Atlanta
At least 178 teachers and principals in Atlanta Public Schools cheated to raise student scores on high-stakes standardized tests, according to a report from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
By Patrik Jonsson | Christian Science Monitor – Tue, Jul 5, 2011
Award-winning gains by Atlanta students were based on widespread cheating by 178 named teachers and principals, said Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Tuesday. His office released a report from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that names 178 teachers and principals – 82 of whom confessed – in what's likely the biggest cheating scandal in US history.
This appears to be the largest of dozens of major cheating scandals, unearthed across the country. The allegations point an ongoing problem for US education, which has developed an ever-increasing dependence on standardized tests.
The report on the Atlanta Public Schools, released Tuesday, indicates a "widespread" conspiracy by teachers, principals and administrators to fix answers on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT), punish whistle-blowers, and hide improprieties.
It "confirms our worst fears," says Mayor Kasim Reed. "There is no doubt that systemic cheating occurred on a widespread basis in the school system." The news is “absolutely devastating," said Brenda Muhammad, chairwoman of the Atlanta school board. "It’s our children. You just don’t cheat children.”
On its face, the investigation tarnishes the 12-year tenure of Superintendent Beverly Hall, who was named US Superintendent of the Year in 2009 largely because of the school system's reported gains – especially in inner-city schools. She has not been directly implicated, but investigators said she likely knew, or should have known, what was going on. In her farewell address to teachers in June, Hall for the first time acknowledged wrongdoing in the district, but blamed other administrators.
The Atlanta cheating scandal also offers the first most comprehensive view yet into a growing number of teacher-cheating allegations across the US, reports of which reached a rate of two to three a week in June, says Robert Schaeffer, a spokesman for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, which advocates against high-stakes testing.
It's also a tacit indictment, critics say, of politicians putting all bets for improving education onto high-stakes tests that punish and reward students, teachers, and principals for test scores.
"When test scores are all that matter, some educators feel pressured to get the scores they need by hook or by crook," says Mr. Schaeffer. "The higher the stakes, the greater the incentive to manipulate, to cheat."
Cheating in Atlanta Public Schools
The 55,000-student Atlanta public school system rose in national prominence during the 2000s, as test scores steadily rose and the district received notice and funding from the Broad Foundation and the Gates Foundation. But behind that rise, the state found, were teachers and principals in 44 schools erasing and changing test answers.
One of the most troubling aspects of the Atlanta cheating scandal, says the report, is that the district repeatedly refused to properly investigate or take responsibility for the cheating. Moreover, the central office told some principals not to cooperate with investigators. In one case, an administrator instructed employees to tell investigators to "go to hell." When teachers tried to alert authorities, they were labeled "disgruntled." One principal opened an ethics investigation against a whistle-blower.
Investigations by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) and state investigators found a pattern consistent with other cheating scandals: a spike in test scores in one critical grade would be followed by an equally dramatic drop the next year. A USA Today investigation in March found that erasure data in six states and the District of Columbia showed these "abnormal patterns," according to testing expert Thomas Haladyna at Arizona State University.
The Atlanta testing allegations led to the first major law enforcement investigation of teacher cheating. Scandals in other states have typically been investigated by state officials. In response to recent teacher cheating allegations in Baltimore, Michael Sarbanes, the district's community engagement director, told District Management Journal, an industry publication for school administrators, that manipulating a test is "inherent in human nature, [although] we think people who do that are outliers."
The high stakes for teachers
Ten states now use test scores as the main criterion in teacher evaluations. Other states reward high-scoring teachers with up to $25,000 bonuses – while low scores could result in principals losing their jobs or entire schools closing. Even as the number of scandals grows, experts say it remains fairly easy for teachers and principals to get away with ethical lapses.
"I think the broadest issue in the [Atlanta scandal] raises is why many school districts and states continue to have high-stakes testing without rigorous auditing or security procedures," says Brian Jacob, director of the Center on Local, State and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan. "In some sense, this is one of the least worrisome problems in public education, because it's fairly easy to fix. The more difficult and troubling behavior would be teaching to the test, which we think of as a lesser form of test manipulation, but which is much harder to detect, and could warp the education process in ways that we wouldn't like."
In response to cheating scandals, some states and school districts have instituted tougher test-auditing standards, employing software that analyzes erasure rates and patterns. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is reforming NCLB to reduce pressure on teachers and principals. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in June that NCLB “is creating a slow-motion train wreck for children, parents, and teachers.” On the other hand, an Obama administration proposal – to pay bonuses to teachers who improve test scores in their classes – may shift the stakes without lowering them.
"The [Atlanta] teachers, principals and administrators wanted to prove that the faith of the Broad and Gates Foundations and the Chamber of Commerce in the district was not misplaced and that APS could rewrite the script of urban education in America and provide a happy, or at least a happier, ending for its students," writes the AJC's education columnist, Maureen Downey.
"And that’s what ought to alarm us," adds Ms. Downey, "that these professionals ultimately felt their students could not even pass basic competency tests, despite targeted school improvement plans, proven reforms, and state-of-the-art teacher training."
Source: Yahoo!
UNESCO Global Forum: Rankings and Accountability in Higher Education: Uses and Misuses, Paris, 16-17 May 2011
The Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova is opening the UNESCO Global Forum “Rankings and Accountability in Higher Education: Uses and Misuses” (16 -17 May 2011 at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris). The Forum will address University rankings in light of their impact on policy and decision-making at institutional, national and regional levels. Organized in cooperation with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank, the Forum will contribute to the on-going debate by providing a unique opportunity for representatives of the most widely observed and influential University rankings to engage in an exciting and vibrant exchange with policy-makers and key higher education stakeholders on the merits and shortcomings of rankings and the uses made of them.
Source: UNESCO
The Anticorruption student network in SEE meeting - Plovdiv, Bulgaria
From February18th to 21st 2011, Anti-corruption student network in SEE held a regular semiannual meeting, where all its members - Bulgaria, Macedonia, Croatia, Moldova and Serbia - met and discussed the ongoing researches and the following campaign, as well as the future of the network.   The agenda of the meeting was:
- Research reports per country, about corruption in HE
- Discussion and agreement about the Know-how package
- Discussion and recommendations on media presentation of the Know-how package
- Future of the Network and follow-up activities
 
Corruption and the MDGs
 In 2000 more than 180 countries committed to a set of highly visible development priorities to be achieved by 2015. Known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) these eight priorities cover a broad range of critical development issues ranging from poverty reduction, health and education to gender equality, access to clean water and environmental sustainability. By setting numerical targets for related indicators, the MDGs have evolved into a galvanising point for development research to identify the critical conditions and drivers that shape progress, or the lack thereof for specific development goals. This research agenda is more urgent and important than ever. With five years to go to the 2015 target date, progress reports indicate that achievements in many areas are not on-track and the world community is likely to fall short of its commitments.
The extent to which corruption negatively affects the prospects of achieving the MDGs is a key area of empirical inquiry and there is a growing number of research contributions that speak to different aspects of that question. Given the breadth and diversity of the MDGs, it is not surprising that few empirical studies attempt a sweeping exploration of the corruption-MDG relationship. Instead, the related empirical literature and research landscape consists of a wide array of very different contributions.
A comprehensive appraisal of this vast body of literature is beyond the scope of this brief review. It will focus instead on a few contributions that are illustrative of the breadth and depth of the field and that cover two MDG areas where progress has been particularly slow: primary education and maternal health.
Corruption and education
Estimating leakage rates in financial flows as a marker of mismanagement and corruption is difficult, yet an innovative approach, a public expenditure tracking survey (PETS) was first pioneered in Uganda in 1996 to shed some light on corruption in the education sector. The survey collected five years’ data on spending and service outputs in 250 government primary schools, 18 local governments and three central government ministries.
The findings were devastating: on average 87% of non-wage education funds were captured by local officials for purposes unrelated to their intended use, while schools in poor neighbourhoods received even less of the planned funding.(1) PETS has since been repeated in countries such as Peru, Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, and consistently documents significant leakage rates.(2)
For a unique view on the linkages between leakage rates and student achievement at the community level, Ferraz et al. draw on extensive audit data from Brazil’s local governments and link these to data on educational performance for more than 1400 schools in 365 municipalities. Econometric tests on this rich and unique dataset suggest that higher levels of resource leakage at the local level are associated with lower learning gains for students.(3)
The direct observation of teacher attendance through unannounced visits has evolved into a popular research technique to measure absenteeism; a key form of quiet corruption. In Uganda, two rounds of investigations based on this methodology found teacher absence rates of 27% in 2002 and in 2007 only marginally lower at 20%.(4)
Moving from tracking the impact of corruption to exploring the effects of anti-corruption measures, in 2008 Transparency International collected community-level data on education, school management and school performance drawn from more than 300 schools in six African countries. The findings reveal that schools that are accountable to parents, school management committees and other government bodies are likely to be better run. When the management of schools is considered in more detail, the findings also suggest that there is a positive relationship between accountability and a school’s performance.(5)
Corruption and health
Sample quality checks on health products such as drugs provide insight into another form of hidden corruption: the production of substandard products and services. According to some studies, more than 50% of drugs sold in drugstores in Nigeria in the 1990s were found to be counterfeit.(6)
Empirical studies based on direct observation also identify absenteeism as a significant problem in the health sector, mirroring findings in the education sector. An investigation by Banerjee et al. in Rajasthan, India in 2004 stands out as particularly comprehensive. It relied on weekly, unannounced visits over a one-year-period to a sample of more than 140 rural health facilities. The authors found a staggering average absence rate of 36% in larger primary care centres and an even higher 45% in rural subcentres.(7)
The theft of health equipment and medicines to pocket the gains from illegally selling these products on the black market presents another major corruption challenge. The practice is widespread in many countries and a qualitative survey of 50 health workers in Mozambique and Cape Verde concluded that this theft is institutionalised: corrupt health workers enter into quasi contracts with private health clinics that purchase the stolen goods.(8)
Can accountability, transparency and integrity make a difference? Several studies shed light on this important question. Rajkumar and Swaroop find that the effectiveness of public health spending in reducing child mortality depends crucially on the perception of higher government integrity.(9) Bjorkman and Sevensson examine the empirical impact of citizen report cards, an important social accountability tool. They probe this issue with the help of a randomised field experiment in Uganda, an approach that is increasingly gaining traction in development research. The results are impressive. Using report cards increased both the level of health service utilisation and provider attendance, and consequently reduced infant mortality by one-third, increasing birth weight and improving other health outcomes.(10)
Better data for better development
These findings are not only very interesting from a research perspective, but are also highly policy-relevant. Understanding how corruption intersects with key priorities in development and how transparency, accountability and integrity can serve as important principles to make MDG related interventions more effective provide timely guidance for policy-makers.
The growing body of empirical inquiry in this area also highlights the research agenda ahead: we need to know much more about what works and what does not in tackling corruption in the context of the MDGs. An important step will be to collect more and better data. It is distressing in this context that the official assessments of MDGs progress in 2010 are often forced to rely on 2005 data, suggesting serious shortcomings in data availability, reliability and timely compilation. Better prioritisation of policy interventions for reaching the MDGs starts with better data. The empirical evidence so far from the growing literature on the relationship between corruption and the MDGs seems robust and conclusive: corruption has a demonstrable negative impact on MDG achievement and the integration of transparency and accountability measures into development programming is likely to yield an MDG dividend.
Source: Corruption Research Network
By what age do children recognise that plagiarism is wrong?
 To view plagiarism as an adult does, a child must combine several pieces of a puzzle: they need to understand that not everyone has access to all ideas; that people can create their own ideas; and that stealing an idea, like stealing physical property, is wrong. There's been plenty of research on children's understanding of physical property ownership, which has shown that a rudimentary understanding is already in place by age two. Now in the first ever systematic study of its kind, Kristina Olson and Alex Shaw at Yale have investigated children's understanding of the ownership of ideas. Across three studies, Olson and Shaw presented children aged between three and eleven with vignettes and puppet videos in which two characters either both came up with their own idea for what to draw in art class, or one character copied what the other one had drawn. By age five to six, children showed less liking for characters who copied and rated them as 'more bad'. Crucially, they gave copying as their justification for these negative appraisals. 'These results demonstrate a relatively sophisticated understanding of ideas as early as age five years,' the researchers said. By contrast, three- to four-year-olds did not rate characters who copied as any less likeable or any more bad than characters who came up with their own ideas. In a control condition, children of this age gave negative ratings to characters who stole physical property, thus showing that the the null result for stealing ideas wasn't because the children didn't understand the rating scale or weren't paying attention. Future research is needed to find out if children younger than four don't understand the idea of original ideas or if they don't yet recognise that to steal ideas is wrong (or both). It's also not yet clear what drives the development of understanding in this area - is it a reflection of cognitive development or does it perhaps have to do with exposure to formal rules about copying at school. 'Our hope is that our idea about ideas is unique and will motivate future research,' the researchers concluded. Source: Research Digest
When education is for sale
Sometimes, the dangers of corruption seem abstract. So what if some company executive paid a bribe to get a procurement contract? So what if a politician gets a kickback? So what if a person paid a traffic cop to get on the way? There are daily reminders, however, that the costs of corruption are not always abstract. Consider the spread of fake diplomas in Russia, covered in detail in The Moscow Times op-ed. Seventy engineers working at a factory building famous SU fighter jets and a new executive jet bought their university engineering degrees. The best teacher in Russia in 2007 bought her diploma.
The estimate is that in Russia between 30 – 50% of post-graduate degrees are purchased!
So next time someone gets on a plane in Russia, they should wonder whether people who built it were really qualified to do so. Next time someone gets sick, he should wonder whether doctors simply purchased their degrees. Next time someone sends their child to school, he should wonder whether the teacher should be there in the first place. Next time someone trusts a lawyer to get them out of jail, he should wonder whether that lawyer actually knows the law. The list can go on…one thing is clear – the costs of corruption can be very much real.
Source: CIPE
Handheld Anti-corruption
Mobile phones have already transformed life in developing countries. They have brought phone service to remote areas that had little hope of ever seeing landlines. They have also had major economic benefits for so-called micro-entrepreneurs, helping them with everything from establishing mobile barbershops to determining the best time to bring goods to market. And now they are trying to fight corruption.
Apple has launched an app, called “Antimordidas” or “Antibribes”, to help users fend off corruption in Mexico City. The app has various features such as a calculator for verifying traffic fines and a user-friendly compendium of traffic regulations. It is soon to be launched for Blackberry as well. Given the interest that this story has garnered in other countries, especially India (where most versions of the story do not specify that the app is only available for Mexico), apps for other locations should not be far behind.
It is always encouraging when new technology is used to combat ancient problems. However, it is unfortunate that the app is limited to smartphones. Corruption hurts most for the people who can least afford it – who happen also to be the people who can least afford smartphones. The Economist has predicted that within five years everyone on earth who wants a cell phone may have one, but smartphones will remain luxury items (except in New York, where people seem to think they are a fundamental need).
Shouldn’t it be possible to fight corruption with a traditional mobile phone? You don’t need fancy apps, just a number to call to report abuse anonymously (which does exist in some locations). An information line is also handy, where callers (or better yet, texters) can find out similar facts as those displayed on Mexican iPhones. Further innovation from handset manufacturers would be welcome. As a social program, they could support a designated mailbox for subsidized SMSs detailing shoddy infrastructure projects or dishonest service providers. Allowing photos to be sent for free would be better still.
There is space for much more innovation in smartphone anti-corruption technology as well. A good start would be a streamlined app for reporting bribery, with automatic submission of time, date, and location: for government agencies and some service providers, no further information would be necessary to discern trends and determine which offices require management intervention.
Source: Foreign Policy
Palestine: Announcement of a new university course: "Integrity, Transparency and Accountability in Combating Corruption"
In 2007, AMAN developed a university course entitled: “Integrity, Transparency and Accountability in combating corruption” in collaboration with Birzeit University (BZU) and a number of academics and Palestinian experts. The curriculum aims at enabling Palestinian youth to recognize the efforts of combating corruption through the theoretical and practical knowledge as well as through identifying the conceptual framework of the integrity system, transparency and accountability. This is perceived as an attempt to enhance the capacity of higher education to effectively contribute to the building of a Palestinian national integrity. The course has already been offered as a pilot phase at two universities in Palestine, namely, BZU in the West Bank where the entire book was studied over a period of four semesters and at the Islamic University in Gaza. Both universities adopted the book and incorporated it in their curricula either as a university requirement for students of the public administration at BZU, or as a pilot stage for the students at the Islamic University (IU).
At the end of 2009, AMAN and in cooperation with the National Endowment for Democracy adopted the project "Combating Corruption through Education" and performed a comprehensive evaluation for the book by an educational expert. Then AMAN with a number of local experts started revising and developing the reference book based on the National Integrity System Study- Palestine 2009. Moreover, a manual has been developed for University instructors and professors offering a range of methods and tools, exercises, and case studies to enable them to offer the full content efficiently and to render a maximum benefit. In addition to (BZU) and (IU), three other universities in the West Bank have adopted the course, namely, Al-Quds University / Abu Deis, The Arab American University / Jenin (AAUJ) and Hebron University/ Hebron.
In this regard, the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity "AMAN" held a press conference where a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the concerned universities and AMAN. As indicated in the MOU< the course will be offered as a mandatory course for Law students at A-Quds, and AAUJ, while BZU and Hebron Universalities demand it for Public Administrative students. It is worthy to note that all universities will also offer the course as an elective to all students.
AMAN’s Board Chairperson, Dr Hanan Ashrawi, Commissioner for Combating Corruption-AMAN Dr. Azmi Shuaibi, and Executive Director, Ghada Zughayar attended the conference.
In opening the conference, Dr. Shuaibi presented AMANs’ vision and philosophy on fighting corruption in general with emphasis on educational methods for long term effects. He illustrated the need and importance of teaching this course at the university showing appreciation for the cooperation and response from the various universities. His speech was followed by remarks from BZU representative who gave a briefing on the university’s experience and evaluation of the course taught during 2009. Representatives of the other three universities also gave a short speech about adopting the course before the signing of the MOU.
Source: Transparency International
ACSN meeting in Zagreb
Anti-corruption student network regular meeting was held in Zagreb from 7th till 10th May. The representatives of all network teams presented their national research reports and discussed the problems they came across during their research. Some important conclusions were made during the meeting. The final form and content of the National reports and the Monitoring know how-package were decided upon. The final National reports will include research results from all network teams and the Monitoring know-how package will contain monitoring tools which would help future researchers with their own projects on this topic. Each team will be responsible for a certain chapter, and a draft version of a Know-how package will be finished until next network meeting.
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Members of the
Anti-Corruption Student Network in SEE: |
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Albania |
| Albanian Student Government |
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Bulgaria |
| Youth Society for Peace and Development of the Balkans |
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Croatia |
| Monitor Statistica |
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Macedonia |
| Youth Educational Forum |
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Moldova |
| National Center for Transparency and Human Rights |
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Serbia |
| Belgrade Open School |
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