With the flood control plunder, corruption is once again a key governance issue demanding response and action. All development sectors confront the corruption plague. Education governance is not exempted.
Recently, a division superintendent was removed for being involved in teaching items for sale scheme. In 2024, a case has been filed against top Department of Education officials for a Php 2.4B-worth overpriced substandard laptops. Broadly, corruption also happens in the form of palakasan, favoritism, influence-peddling and bossism.
Transparency International 2007 Working Paper underscores the fundamental ill-effects of corruption in education: “When present, corruption defeats the very purpose of education: having a universal and open system based on merit and not money. In a corrupt education system, students do not acquire the skills and knowledge that will enable them to contribute meaningfully to their country's economy and society. They learn from a young age to value corruption, accepting it is a norm for them and society.”
Multiply-Ed asserts that quality and empowering education can only happen in a public education system where actors and stakeholders practice integrity and that is intolerant to corruption.
Multiply-Ed is hosting a learning collaborative and advocacy forum on anti-corruption in education on 18 April 2026, 8:00am-12:00nn in Cotabato City and on 8 May 2026, 8:00-12:00nn in Naga City as a side event to its ongoing Youth-Led Education Reform Regional Conference.
The objectives of the event are as follows: (1) to list the different forms and types of corruption in public education system, (2) to take stock of the anti-corruption mechanisms and efforts that need to work to nurture the integrity of education stakeholders and enable a corruption-intolerant public education system, (3) to reflect on how students can be a formidable anti-corruption force and inform the updated Multiply-Ed Reform Agenda, particularly on anti-corruption.
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Updated Multiply-Ed Reform Agenda on anti-corruption (for comments/ finalization):
Nurturing the Integrity of Education Stakeholders by Developing a Corruption-Intolerant Public Education System*
Multiply-Ed calls on the government to create an enabling environment and undertake proactive measures for education actors and stakeholders to practice integrity and for the public education system to be intolerant of corruption as a key component of quality and empowering education. Specifically, Multiply-Ed pushes for the following agenda:
- Every exercise of power in the public education system must come with corresponding accountability. There should be an accountability audit that would ensure that the powers of every official from the top to bottom have corresponding checks and that no officer in the department have any conflict of interest. All discretionary powers must be identified and reconsidered, especially those which are exercised by the Secretary, department heads and division superintendents on decisions pertaining to budget, allocation of resources, hiring and promotion of teachers. Such accountability audit must be done regularly to ensure that mechanisms that are set up are working as designed.
- For the Department of Education (DepEd) to undertake anti-corruption and integrity re-orientation to its personnel and officers, facilitating dialogues and reflections that address hindrances to the culture of integrity in the public education system and disseminating information on where and how to report irregularities and abuse of powers.
- For division offices and schools to equip the School Governance Councils, especially the student governments, in accountability efforts that prevent corruption, such as monitoring and setting up of grievance redress mechanism and anti-corruption and integrity education and awareness-raising campaigns.
- For anti-corruption education to be part of the curriculum to elaborate on the meaning of ‘public office as a public trust’ and provide orientation on the different accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms and processes in the Philippine political system provided in laws and policies as well as the checks and balances relationship of the different branches and levels of the government.
- For Local School Boards to articulate their anti-corruption functions, such as by enabling their monitoring mandates in cooperation with civil society.
- For the Office of the Ombudsman to undertake lifestyle checks on top officers of the Department of Education, including the Secretary, department heads, Bids and Awards Committee members and division superintendents.
- For the Department of Education to provide ample support and ensure a well-functioning Internal Audit Service and monitoring and evaluation system at all levels, down to the schools.
- For the Commission on Audit to engage education stakeholders on its annual audit findings to ensure that it is doing its job in checking the utilization of resources in DepEd and to support the following-up of its findings and recommendations.
- For the Department of Education leadership to reaffirm its zero tolerance f corruption whenever possible, prioritizing investigation on reported cases of graft and corruption and ensuring that anyone found guilty is punished.
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