Introduction
According to research conducted in 2008 by “Psychological Center” in Azerbaijan almost 40% of students and academics and every second teacher at state universities accepts bribes. Corruption is the most dangerous disease of the world. It is undesirable for every society if corruption grows in education sector. It is an undeniable fact that Azerbaijan is the country which suffers from corruption, especially in education. I will mainly focus on corruption in state universities of Azerbaijan, more particularly its background, its current level, causes, culprits, general solutions, and my solutions to the problem.
Background
As mentioned in the book called “Corruption in Higher Education: Some findings from the States of the Former Soviet Union” written by Paul Temple and Georgy Petrov from Institute of Education, University of London, United Kingdom, corruption in higher education is common in the States of Former Soviet Republic, especially in Azerbaijan, Russia, and Ukraine. Azerbaijan still uses the structure of Soviet times’ education system. There are large number of institutions specialized on occupational sectors, and they are under control of the Ministries for the relevant areas. There are also small chairs, kafedra, within universities. These show that there was a problem in the management structure of the state universities since Soviet Union times, and it is unchanged now. Azerbaijan’s state universities have historically experienced corruption, and although Azerbaijan gained its independence 23 years ago, fewer things have changed in education system. For the quality and effectiveness of university education, Azerbaijan was the one of the prominent republics in Soviet Union. Nevertheless, when USSR coll...
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... do not need to take a bribe for making living. It does not matter which system is used; if staff of university cannot make living with salary, they will be get acquainted with corruption.
2. Other solution is that in public universities the student parliaments should be established which will use the method of classic labor unions; these parliaments can be rivals to university administrations to protect students’ rights.
3. An independent accreditation structure could help to reduce corruption at state universities of Azerbaijan. (As Rector of Khazar University, Hamlet Isakhanli suggests)
4. To create Honor Code which provide students with their duties and obligations.
Works Cited
According to research conducted in 2008 by “Psychological Center” in Azerbaijan almost 40% of students and academics and every second teacher at state universities accepts bribes.
The example of Saudi Arabia is worth mentioning again. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 80% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings . The state is the major employer and provides its people with free education however according to Andre Elias Mazawi, these institutions (schools and universities) have little independence in the form of ‘academic policies, staffing and budgeting’ . This is clearly an attempt to exert its influence over institutions famous for breading different ways of thinking and political activism.
This will foster oneness and helps in healing the world, if it starts with one, it can spread to the world. The university management should not wait until issues like the one that happened during the protest happened before reacting, proactive measures needed to be put in place to forestall future
The Complex Structure of Higher Education. The university is a complex organization. Baldridge, Curtis, Ecker and Riley (1982) found that colleges and universities have characteristics that distinguish them from private enterprises as well as other government organizations. They describe the higher education environment as one where resources allow individuals within the organization room to grow in different directions without the tight restraints seen in other types of environments. They go on to describe the role of the president and other university leaders as catalysts or facilitators rather than the “my way or the highway” mentality of some private CEOs. Baldridge et al. describe this environment as “organized anarchy” where this facilitation role, also described as collegial decision making, leads to an environment where decisions “happen” rather than are “made.” Politically, this environment tends to be mostly inactive with very fluid, fragmented participation. The president assumes the role as “first among equals”, a mediator between power blocs on campus. This is very different in all but a few private corporations.
Dr. Morris states, “Despite the increase in interest [on ethics], there are pressures on schools to produce students who make money their top priority, particularly from school rankings that are based partly on how much salaries increase after graduation. Built into those structures are incentives to behave unethically” (Gardner, 2). In this case, the bottom line for the school is its school ranking. If schools are able to produce top students with secure and high salaries, the prestige of the school increases. Often times, the pressure for students to perform well is coupled with incentives such as a sense of entitlement as a “valedictorian” or a “magna cum laude” student. Within this context, it is important to keep in mind how money is perceived as a means to an end. With an increased yet secure salary comes a hierarchy of status, power, and image for both the student and the school. . In the real world, there are a limited number of seats for those to be on the top, but many people fighting to attain one of those seats. Competition creates much tension between students of the same school since the opportunity to advance and secure financial stability is appealing and restrictive. Personal integrity may be compromised by students who choose to cheat their way to the top. Unethical behavior such as cheating during exams or projects, lying
In my opinion, all crime stems from corruption. It takes only a small seed of dishonesty which can grow into many different types and dimensions of crime. According to Elena Flouristeanu, “A broad definition of corruption is the abuse of power with the purpose of satisfying personal or interest groups,” (Floristeanu, 2010). With this definition, it is easy to see how it can lead to bribery, perjury, and fraud. Studies done by the Transparency International Barometer, which surveys ordinary people and their take on corruption, show that the institution most affected by corruption would be political parties. The next most affected would be any person or group involved in any sort of legislative or judicial system in the world. Corruption can diff...
The report, Higher Education for American Democracy, triggered changes in federal policies and subsequently the universities followed suit. Members of the commission arg...
The Soviet Union placed heavy emphasis on higher education in the 1960’s, and this produced a generation of students dedicated to socialism. In the Soviet Union, higher education was “held in the highest regard by all portions of society” (Report on Higher pg 15) The socialist ideal was to be an effective tool in the Soviet system, and a university background was a way of becoming a good Soviet. “Any person, regardless of citizenship or sex, who is sixteen years of age may be admitted to any of the higher institutions of learning without presenting a diploma or certificate of graduation from a secondary or any other school.” (open admission to) It was said by an American university that the soviets placed more importance on higher education
Universities tend to depend on the skills and knowledge/know how of their operating professional to function; and produce standard products or services. Which is another reason professional bureaucracy best suits them, as their operating duties/task is primary steadfast, leading to predictable, in forced, standards of behavior. Professional bureaucratic is intricate, and so must be regulated by the university experts who carries it out. Therefore, the university resorts to the coordinating mechanism, which permits for imposition of standards, regulations, and decentralization all at the same time; in other words, the standardization of skills or experience.
An institute or a university has a number of faculties, each specializing councils which confer candidate and doctoral degrees. The system of higher and secondary education in Russia is going trough a transitional period. The main objectives of the reforms are: to decentralize the higher education system, to develop a new financial mechanism, to give more academic freedom to faculties and students. All secondary schools, institutes and universities until recently have been funded by the state.
India eNews (2007), Pakistan education sector marred by corruption [Internet], India eNews, Available from: , [Accessed 23rdMarch 2011].
The issues and infractions mentioned above are examples of what is and has occurred at universities nationwide. This is not an isolated problem. As these corrupt acts of academic fraudulence and plagiarism continue to reoccur, it is slowing chipping away at the prestige and respect that make these educational establishments what they are suppose to be, institutions of the highest learning. By treating academics as a secondary concern to the athletic primacy, universities cannot fully accomplish their sole purpose. These acts of immoral and unethical procedures do not permit the schools from maintaining unblemished academic environments. Although part of the universities' goals are to create well rounded students, this objective should not come at the expense of academics, corruption, or unethical behavior.
Bribery is wrong, and it would be almost instinctive to point at the benefits of impartially functioning public servants and incorrupt corporations to our democratic society as justification. However, in this imperfect world where bribery is rife in varying degrees, is it possible to express this notion convincingly? Certainly 'because the UK Bribery Act says so' is far less persuasive to a council planning office in Shanghai than in London, and indeed in compliance with section 7 of the Bribery Act 2010 which relates to commercial offences, it is essential that this question is engaged with on a corporate scale and without assertion through dogma. Accordingly, this essay will argue that elements wrong with bribery are inclusive of both moral and economic considerations. Moreover, in conjunction with international mandates, advent of aggressive legislation such as that of the UK Bribery Act 2010 is representative of global efforts to eliminate bribery. Hence, it follows that bribery can never be considered a normal part of business because it is economically unsustainable in the long term.
OBREJA, Efim (2002). CORRUPTION IN MOLDOVA: facts, analysis, proposals. Transparency International. TANZI, Vito (1998). Corruption Around the World.
The American higher education system has always been deemed as the best in the world. Statistics consistently show that most Nobel winners received higher education in America and a majority of international students choose America as their dream county to study abroad. The standard of higher education in America is unique and unparalleled in many ways. However, it’s always hard to live up to a great reputation. The system suffers from deficits in many respects. For example, some scholars question the effectiveness of teaching and learning as the quality of graduated students is hardly satisfactory; also, the increase of cost and tuition is skyrocketing, which puts a huge burden on students and their parents; Therefore, accountability of higher education is doubted by a variety of individuals and groups. This research paper will better explore the American higher education through the following aspects:
Montesh, M. (n.d.). Conceptualizing Corruption: Forms, Causes, Types and Consequences. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from