Combating Unethical Behavior in Tertiary Education

Jamil Salmi

International Conference on Fighting Corruption and Promoting Good Governance

Astana, 16-18 September 2009

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outline of the presentation

• what types of unethical behaviors?

• why and how do they impact tertiary education?

• how to combat fraud and corruption?

definitions• fraud: “intentional perversion of truth in order to induce

another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right”

– academic fraud: improper behavior to gain an unfair advantage (admission, grades, exams, degree)

• corruption: “abuse of public or private office to gain personal advantage”, “impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle”

– financial realm

• “unethical behavior” used to refer broadly to all forms of improper and/or illegal actions in tertiary education

the “what”: an inventory

• categories based on educational and institutional processes

• “protagonists” identified

• examples provided from around the world

• summary matrix on p. 33 of the report

sources of information

– news reports• popular press• tertiary education publications, e.g. The Chronicle of Higher

Education

– Boston College Higher Education Corruption Monitor

– direct communications

exclusions

• criminal behavior by students and staff outside the context of institutions and their roles

• negligence and failure to adequately perform one’s duties

• violations of academic freedom

the “what”: an inventory

• admission process

• teaching and learning

• false credentials

• quality assurance

• research

• academic staff career

• financial management

corruption in the admission process

• examination fraud• bribery• favoritism• undue influence• discrimination

• protagonists are students and their families, faculty, administrators, government officials, and outside agents

dishonesty in the academic process

• cheating

• plagiarism

• students, faculty, and outside agents

awarding of false credentials

• bribery and undue influence in grading and degree conferral

• fake / unearned degrees• from legitimate institutions• from “degree mills”

• students, faculty, administrators, and outside agents

informal payments for education

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102030405060708090

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2 6 7 7 7 8 916 16 20 24 25

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% of households that make informal payments

undermining of quality assurance measures

• misrepresentation• providing false data• bribery• accreditation “mills”

• institution administrators, government officials, and representatives of accrediting bodies

research misconduct

• failure to follow standards

• falsification of results

• conflicts of interest

• plagiarism / theft of ideas or work

• primary protagonists are faculty

corruption in faculty and staff career management

• bribery• undue influence• use of false credentials• discrimination• harassment

• faculty, institution administrators, government officials, and outside parties

financial fraud and mismanagement

• profiteering

• theft

• embezzlement

• financial mismanagement

• student loan fraud

• institutional administrators, government officials, and outside parties

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outline of the presentation

• what types of unethical behaviors?

• why and how do they impact tertiary education?

why does corruption happen?economic dimensions

• high levels of corruption in tertiary education often mirror high levels of corruption in countries overall

• low teacher and administrator salaries

• supply out of sync with demand

why does corruption happen?political dimensions

• lack of oversight and accountability• managerial capacity

• political tolerance

negative impact

• contrary to basic purpose of education– ethical values– academic merit – loss of trust in system and outputs

• teachers (role models)• students (code of conduct)• institutions (reputation)

• misuse of limited resources

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outline of the presentation

• what types of unethical behaviors?

• why and how do they impact tertiary education?

• how to combat fraud and corruption?

what can be done?

• four types of interventions:– preventative measures– measures for detecting and monitoring– punitive measures– multiple purpose measures

preventive measures

– legislation and other government policies

– institutional policies and governance arrangements• diversified, independent Board• strong leadership• honor code

– standardized / automated procedures

corruption in Kyrgyz universities

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34.3

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Percentage

detecting and monitoring

– computer programs and other IT instruments

– tip lines and other reporting venues

– surveys

– audits

punitive measures

– protests and violence

– legal action

– career / status sanctions

– academic / professional sanctions

multi-purpose measures

– accreditation systems

– education / awareness raising

– publicity

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31

Fighting Corruption

Upgrade your knowledge –

Make your universities more ethical

Ian Whitman

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the integrity imperative

• social justice (moral dimension)• trust in the meritocratic process• proper use of public resources• potential loss of talent

33

the way forward

• more documentation and closer monitoring (surveys, reporting mechanisms)

• more systematic assessment of which policies and instruments work

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Everybody is equal.

But some are more equal than others.

George Orwell