Anti-corruption approaches and tools in the education sector
Oslo Governance Forum October 2011
Laetitia Antonowicz Associate Consultant Education for Change Ltd.
Main issues rising from the study
UNDP study: Fighting corruption Untangling general governance vs anti-corruption sector specific interventions Few initiatives documented Focus on diagnostic tools Limited in-depth analysis Bigger picture not taken into account Lack of evaluation of effectiveness (external) Four categories of AC interventions AC in HE a rising concern
Codes of conduct for education staff
Tackling bribes, private tuition, sexual harassment & absenteeism Who initiates? (Gambia) National vs school level (Côte d’Ivoire) Collaboration teacher unions – government Involvement of civil society, parents & students Dissemination, awareness and enforcement Administrative bodies: autonomous/self-regulatory Complaint mechanisms and protection
School grants disbursement
Mechanisms – – – –
Use of third party (2002-03 Sierra Leone) School bank accounts with several signatories Compulsory returns and liquidations (Sierra Leone) Independent monitoring units (Indonesia)
Enabling environment – – – – –
Standardised account systems & school awareness Information dissemination on grant amounts Matching grant to school needs: timeliness/accuracy Monitoring role of SMCs Training of SMCs/ headteachers
Participatory monitoring of education budgets & expenditures
Community monitoring – – – – –
CEF: Process useful to fine tune methodology Positive impact on good governance & quality education Some recovery of funds Sustainability is an issue Children’s participation (Uganda)
Enabling environment – – – –
Support to undertake the work Sustained & genuine interest of beneficiaries Follow-up of exposed cases of corruption Absence of fear of reprisals for participants
Teacher headcount/payroll clean up
Mechanisms (Uganda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan) – – – – – –
Random physical verification in schools Use of IT, camera & GPS Young / IT literate analysts Start from existing list more effective Involvement of parents and SMCs = more effective Link to TMIS
Challenges (Goldsmith 2010) – –
Time for matching data Conversion of data into action on payroll