Universities do not apply Code of Ethics: Transparency International

Though Moldovan universities adopted the code of ethics and instituted commissions to apply them, most teachers and students only suppose their existence in their universities. This is the main conclusion to which Transparency International-Moldova (TI-Moldova) comes after making a poll entitled “Ethics and university integrity,” that was presented at Info-Prim Neo News Agency on February 25. A great part of teachers and students were not informed about the adoption and the contents of the Code of University Ethics, and more than a half of students, who say they know about the existence of the code, admitted that they didn’t know or superficially knew its provisions. Transparency International-Moldova made the poll in May, 2008, interviewing 113 teachers and 415 students of 19 higher educational institutions from Moldova, the error margin being 3-4%. Thus, 73.5% of the interviewed students consider that copying at exams or tests in their universities happens frequently or sometimes, while the same answer is given by 65.4% of professors. A big part of students admitted cases of plagiarizing works, articles from books and the Internet. 45% of students think that students attempt to corrupt teachers. 45.1% of teachers think the same. Alarming is the number of respondents who say say that teachers and students have an unethical behavior and commit corruption acts. TI-Moldova is concerned that the greatest part of cases of unethical behavior have never been considered by university administrations. According to the Bologna process, Moldova is a part to, universities must adopt codes of ethics and institute commissions for their implementation, “but these commissions do not work,” expert of TI-Moldova Constantin Lazari said. “It is very important that Moldova, both on the national, and on the international levels, is not complying to the objectives provided in the Bologna process. In this situation, universities are not able to adequately prepare the young generation for ensuring democracy,” Constantin Lazari said. According to Lilia Carasciuc, the executive director of TI-Moldova, a recent study of TI shows that the total volume of bribery which was paid in the educational system of Moldova in 2008 accounts for 64 million lei. It is questionable whether it is much or little, given the great number of teachers in Moldova and their low salaries. But the consequences of corruption are of a bigger importance for TI. Among the measures of preventing corruption in the university system, TI-Moldova remarks the development of an accurate mechanism to implement the ethical codes, including the clauses of the code in the work contracts signed by teachers, ensuring the opportunity to choose the teacher, raising salaries in the university system, filling in the blanks on the teacher’s integrity by preserving anonymity, offering the opportunity to compare the teaching of the same subject by another teacher through a periodical change of teachers, establishing some clear criteria of assessing the students’ knowledge, setting computer tests.