Letters from schools & the Mayor of Nuwara Eliya

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Letters from children

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Forms and Extent of Corruption in Education in Sri Lanka

Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) carried out a survey on Forms and Extent of Corruption in Education in Sri Lanka.

Please read the report.
* In English
* Sinhala

Reference: Transparency International Sri Lanka

Forms and Extent of Corruption in Education in Sri Lanka

Corruption ruins lives of children - Take action!

Corruption in education is particularly damaging because it endangers a country's social, economic and political future:

* Corruption in education is more detrimental than corruption in other sectors because of its long-term effects.
* Corruption threatens equal access, quantity and quality of education.
* Its consequences are particularly harsh for the poor who, without access to education or with no alternative but low-quality education, have little chance to escape a life of poverty.
* Corruption is incompatible with one of the major aims of education: producing citizens that respect the law and human rights.
* If children come to believe that personal effort and merit do not count and that success comes through manipulation, favouritism and bribery, then the very foundations of society are shaken.

Corruption in education is a major hindrance to achieving the second Millennium Development Goal of comprehensive primary school education for all the world's children by 2015.
Corruption in education can take many forms:
* bribes paid by parents to teachers to ensure good grades and examination results
* bribes paid by teachers to public officials to get preferred posting and promotion
* embezzlement of funds allocated to purchase teaching materials or to build schools.
Corruption in the education sector can also mean the bypassing of criteria in the approval of school establishment and accreditation, cronyism and nepotism in procurement and teacher appointment, resulting in "ghost teachers" or the selling of information on exams.

Curbing corruption in education requires a similar approach to tackling corruption in other social sectors. Governments should work to increase accountability in educational systems and within the civil service generally. The civil service needs clear recruitment and career-development rules that are based on merit, with simple and clear lines of responsibility. Capapcities must be built within institutiones so that officials can apply existing regulations. Teachers and civil servants must be adequately paid.

Clear sanctions for bribery must coexist with conflict of interest rules and codes of conduct. The administration's political independence and its political commitment against corruption at the highest level are also critical. Another key determinant for successfully battling corruption in education is access to information, for example on resources allocated to schools, and effective complaint mechanisms for students and parents. Finally, civil society should be involved in educational planning and school management, because public participation builds ownership and demand for accountability.


Reference: Transparency International: The global coalition against the corruption