KEY POINTS
- ICPC Chairman noted that corruption is highly detrimental to educationally Nigeria particularly at the lower levels.
- Corruption in education is founded upon low levels of transparency and accountability.
- Transparency is pushed by workshop in order to protect learning institutions and enhance service provision.
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), said this over the weekend in a statement. He noted that corruption remains wrecking the country’s education sector.
Aliyu, represented by Grace Agha-Ibe, made his contribution during a workshop sponsored by the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN). He referred to corruption as a “cancer” that has affected the efficiency of institutions, especially at lower levels of education.
Aliyu blamed many of these challenges on the sector’s failure in terms of accountability and transparency. He went on to say that corruption has interfered with school enrolment and the distribution of textbooks. It has also affected the appointment of teachers and the assessment of how schools are implementing their projects.
Consequences of corruption in education
“The so-called revolutionary change has mostly impacted the lower end of education, affecting enrollments and the issuance of textbooks,” Aliyu said. He continued, explaining that corruption has compromised the quality of education and the resources provided for learning. This results in a significant loss for students and faculty.
Aliyu went further to attribute a large percentage of the problems to issues of opacity and a lack of reciprocity. As far as education standards are concerned, this negatively influences the quality of education nationwide.
Incorporating transparency for enhancing education management
Speaking at the workshop, ACAN Provost, Prof. Olatunde Babawale, specifically noted that transparency and accountability must be encouraged. This would improve results in the sector.
According to The Punch, Prof. Babawale said, “Our expectation at the end of this workshop is improved transparency and accountability by the Universal Basic Education Board.” He noted that promoting these values is important for preventing fraud and corruption in education institutions. He also stated that transparency should not impede the achievement of educational goals or the equal provision of quality services to students.
