UNESCO: Education Free from Corruption

How can transparency help prevent corruption and strengthen trust in education? This question was discussed in Strasbourg, France, on 14–16 October 2026, during events marking the tenth anniversary of ETINED, the Council of Europe Platform on Ethics, Transparency and Integrity in Education. Participants included country delegates and representatives of European organisations and networks, alongside the Council of Europe and the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP-UNESCO).

The Council of Europe’s Head of the Education Department, Villano Qiriazi, stressed that transparency is essential to the democratic governance of higher education institutions and their accountability to society. He noted that university autonomy and academic freedom must go hand in hand with open and accountable governance.

Martín Benavides, Director of IIEP-UNESCO, described integrity in education as a democratic imperative. He emphasized that transparency is not only a means of building trust but also a way of safeguarding the fundamental values of democratic societies.

Combating Corruption

ETINED’s work is closely linked to IIEP-UNESCO’s ETICO programme, which focuses on ethics and corruption in education.

For more than two decades, ETICO has developed knowledge and practical tools, organised training and peer learning for education professionals, and provided technical support to countries.

Its work includes assessing corruption risks, monitoring public education expenditure, and developing ethics charters and codes of conduct.

Since 2013, the Council of Europe and IIEP-UNESCO have collaborated on several initiatives, including teacher codes of conduct, academic integrity, capacity-building in the Western Balkans, and open school data.

Montenegro is an example of this cooperation in practice. With support from IIEP, the country strengthened its higher education integrity framework by adopting an Academic Integrity Law in 2019 and an Ethics Charter in 2021. Further training has helped national bodies and higher education representatives put these commitments into practice.

Joint work on open school data is also expected to result in the publication of policy guidelines in 2027.

Fraud in the Digital Age

According to Muriel Poisson, Acting Team Leader of IIEP-UNESCO’s Knowledge Generation and Mobilization team, integrity challenges have taken new forms over the past decade, while fraudulent practices have become increasingly sophisticated.

At the same time, digital tools, when used with human oversight, can help education institutions detect misconduct more effectively.

Poisson also identified the growing influence of populist movements and their rejection of fundamental principles such as ethics, integrity, and accountability as an additional challenge.

What Does Meaningful Transparency Look Like?

UNESCO stresses that transparency involves more than simply publishing data and documents. People must also be able to understand the information and see how it informs decision-making.

During discussions on open school data, participants emphasized that students, parents, and teachers should be able not only to access information but also to understand its relevance to education policy and decision-making.

The same principle applies to universities, which manage public funds, award qualifications, and conduct research.

Martín Benavides proposed establishing a social contract bringing together stakeholders from both public and private higher education institutions to agree on common standards for transparency and access to information.

He stressed that these efforts should be supported by effective public regulation while taking into account the circumstances of different countries and the capacities of their institutions.

Ivanka Popović, former Rector of the University of Belgrade, advocated for “accessible transparency” rather than “unconditional transparency”. She described universities as “without walls but with floors”.

The idea is that universities should remain open and accountable while maintaining appropriate safeguards to protect personal and other sensitive data.

Priorities for the Next Decade

At its 10th Plenary Meeting, ETINED reviewed its priorities for the coming years. These include advancing open school data, preventing and combating education fraud, and developing its programme for 2028–2031.

As ETINED enters its next decade, international cooperation will remain important in helping education systems respond to emerging risks and uphold shared principles.

The long-standing partnership between the Council of Europe and IIEP-UNESCO reflects their shared commitment to the principle that integrity in education is essential to the right to education, democratic citizenship, and education as a public good.