Professor Van Ry

Corruption in higher education is nothing new, probably existing since the first college opened its doors. But as more people around the world seek college degrees, there’s evidence that bribes for grades, admissions fraud, and other corrupt practices are on the rise.

“We’re certainly discovering more of it,” said Stephen P. Heyneman, a professor of international-education policy at Vanderbilt University and a former education official with the World Bank. “Whether that’s because we’re paying more attention to it or because it’s worsening, I don’t know.”

In a report released [last week] by Transparency International, a nongovernmental organization, Mr. Heyneman and other experts examine trends and examples of corruption in education, from primary schools to public university systems. The publication, “Global Corruption Report: Education,” is one in a series of reports the group produces annually on corruption around the world, but it’s the first to focus on education.

Corruption in higher education very likely has been exacerbated by the rapid expansion of the sector in recent decades, transforming what were once elite systems to mass higher-education systems, the report says. That transformation, coupled with the growing internationalization of higher education, has triggered significant problems. <Read more.>

Via Aisha Labi, The Chronicle of Higher Education.