Every Forth Student has had personal experience with corruption

Banja Luka, 11^th April 2012. –Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) has presented a study on the Corruption Perception Research in Higher Educationin BiH, as well as the familiarity of university personel with anti-corruption legislation in higher education. The aim of the research has been to gather attitudes about the the level of corruption in higher education in BiH, in which area it occurs, how it manifests, and ways of fighting against corruption and preventing it. The survey was conducted in all university centers throughout BiH, and has also included both private and public universities.

The study showed significant differences in attitudes between university professors and students. While most students see corruption as a widespread phenomenon, and even as the dominant characteristic of universities, university personnel deny or relativize the true extent of corruption.

The results indicate on a devastating fact that almost every forth student has got personal encounter with corruption- has paid for positive grades or it has been requested for him to somehow pay for it.  On the other side, students, as the most widespread forms of corruption at their universities, consider: giving/receiving positive grades for money or some other compensation (45%), conditioning exam taking by purchasing books (15%),  when teachers and other personnel  “push” their children through the study (they provide vertical mobility) (6%), every form of receiving undeserved grades (7%).

On the other side, the personnel have expressed more concern about the unmerited promotion of professors and violation of the prescribed rules in the educational process.

According to students’ conviction, these processes are most convenient for corruption to occur: taking exams in private (no witnesses), usually held in cabinets, oral examination, failure to follow scheduled test dates and informal gatherings of students with professors and professor assistants, and developing inappropriate relationships.

Both students and university personnel mainly consider that corruption is equally the fault of professors and students at the universities. However, for inefficiency in combating corruption, students blame the ministries of education and judicial authorities, while on the other side university personnel put greater responsibility  on the management structure of the university.

There are differences in attitudes on the damaging effects of corruption on knowledge quality and obtained diplomas. While the majority of students (36,6%) consider that knowledge quality is  jeopardized, and that most of diplomas are obtained without adequate knowledge, the majority of professors feel that corruption has no major impact on the level of knowledge and diplomas.

Particularly worrying is the readiness of students (46%) to resort to corruption when they do not have other way to pass the exam. At the same time, the willingness of professors and students to engage themselves in anti-corruption actions still mostly come down to the level of writing anonymous reports.

When it comes to anti-corruption measures, generally, students and personnel prefer taking strict, repressive measures and count on deterred effect of stricter penalties, passing stricter laws, as well as consistent and effective prosecution of offenders.

Research on awareness of employees at universities of anti-corruption legislation has demonstrated a high degree of ignorance of the specific regulations relating to corruption in higher education, and that vast majority of employees have not been familiar with whether the implementation of anti corruption measures are conducted at their universities or not, and on what degree is their application. According to the response of employees, the reasons for this situation is, the lack of interest in preventing corruption in academic area (8.2%), inefficient systems and resources to put into practice the application of regulations (5.1%), confusion due to unregulated legislation of relations between state and entity and canton (4.3%), general social crisis (3.9%) or the fact that university management does not perceive certain actions as corruption (2%).

All of the above results indicate that there is still no systematic approach to the fight against corruption at universities, and that it is based on the will of individuals to cope with this phenomenon. This is the reason why the conducted research will be used as the base for further activities by TI BiH in the area of prevention of corruption in higher education. Above all, they present the knowledge which will be used in creation anti-corruption plans, which public universities committed to adopt.