Corruption in education – stealing the future

Corruption is a major drain on the effective use of resources for education and should be drastically curbed. 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 has for the poor who, without access to education or with no alternative but low-quality education, have a little chance to escape a life of poverty. Corruption is incompatible with one of the major aims in 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. The article argues that the problems posed by corruption in education have been neglected for too long.