Integrating Anti-Corruption Education Programmes in Schools

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture confirmed that a total of 822 000 pupils were enrolled in schools around the country.

This represents 32% of the country’s estimated population of around 2,6 million people, according to data from Worldometer and United Nations data.

If 32% of the population can be effectively educated in becoming ambassadors in Namibia’s fight against corruption, one can only imagine the positive socio-economic spin-off for the country.

The National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan (Nacsap) 2016-2020 was the first document of its kind developed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for the government “to promote systems of integrity, accountability, and transparency”.

Equally, the Nacsap was intended to strengthen domestic anti-corruption systems, including legislation, policies, and institutions.

This article will only consider information contained in the Nacsap that is relevant to primary and secondary school pupils.

The Nacsap introduced the “anti-corruption theme in the civic life skills subject in schools” as one of the strategic actions to achieve its fourth strategic objective – conducting extensive anti-corruption education.

An anti-corruption training manual was developed in 2014, and approximately 200 life skills teachers were trained in all 14 regions.

Following the training, a survey was conducted in 2019/20 to establish whether the teachers were indeed implementing the anti-corruption manual in schools as part of the life skills curriculum.

The results only revealed that teachers required more training and more clarification on certain modules in the ACC’s anti-corruption manual.

To mark the end of the Nacsap 2016-2020, the ACC compiled an evaluation report in October 2020 to reflect achievements and lessons learnt during the implementation stage.

One of the recommendations under the fourth strategic objective was to provide training to new life skills teachers, as well as teachers who have not previously been trained.

Another recommendation was to incorporate the anti-corruption theme or subjects not only for life skills, but in all subject areas.

However, these recommendations were omitted from the Nacsap 2021-2025, which was launched on 16 March this year.

Like the first Nacsap, the ACC maintained the same fourth strategic objective and included only one strategic action of “monitoring the delivery of the anti-corruption theme in the civic life skills subject in schools”.

The responsibility is now assigned to the National Institute for Educational Development (Nied) within the education ministry.

One observation that remains consistent in both Nacsaps is the exclusion of the ministry from the nominated steering committee and as an individual implementing institution.

Namibia signed several regional and international legal instruments against corruption and money laundering, and one of these included signing up as a member state of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCC).

Namibia attended the UNCC conference on Anti-corruption awareness-raising, education, training and research in June 2022 in Vienna, Italy, as one of 14 state parties.

The UNCC conference stressed the importance of education in preventing corruption and raising awareness of its harmful effects to the attending state parties in resolution 9/8.

As part of the same resolution, “the conference called upon the state parties to promote, at various levels of the education system, programmes that will instil concepts and principles of integrity and accountability, and to devote special attention to working with young people and children as part of a strategy to prevent corruption”.

The role of public education, and in particular, the engagement of children and young people, were discussed by the working group on the prevention of corruption.

Already in 2017 at its eighth meeting, this working group discussed the topic of education in schools and universities on anti-corruption efforts.

An analysis of submissions made by the State parties was summarised.

For Namibia, the ACC presented the introduction of the anti-corruption themes in both primary and secondary schools through the anti-corruption education manual for teachers that was rolled out in 2014 as Namibia’s effort under the conference theme of ‘Anti-corruption Education Programmes for Children and Youth at Primary and Secondary School Level’.

Five other countries also reported under the same theme.

Kuwait reported on their innovative approaches of promoting ethics and integrity at primary and secondary school levels, which includes reading, artistic events, and the use of theatre.

In Madagascar the independent anti-corruption office and ministry of national education developed and anti-corruption module for secondary schools.

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