Proposed priority actions and activities to be undertaken by the ETINED Platform in 2022.

The main activities will draw from the Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member states on combating education fraud that was adopted in July 2022[1]. The Recommendation on countering education fraud is structured in four dimensions: prevention, prosecution, international cooperation, and monitoring. The text makes six main recommendations to member States of the Council of Europe:

  • to promote quality education by eliminating education fraud;
  • to protect pupils, students, researchers, and staff at all levels of education from organisations and individuals engaged in selling (and advertising) fraudulent services;
  • to provide support for the implementation of preventative and protective measures, as well as a culture of equality of opportunity at all levels and in all sectors of education and training and in the transition between these sectors;
  • to monitor technological developments that could support new forms of fraud;
  • to facilitate international cooperation in the field;
  • to support wide dissemination of the recommendation.

It includes definitions, commonly agreed at European level, of education fraud, plagiarism and different types of providers of fraudulent documents such as diploma, accreditation and visa “mills” as well as essay banks.

A baseline study and research reports covering different themes in the field of education fraud, are planned in the course of 2022.

[1] On 13 July 2022 the Committee of Ministers adopted CM/Rec(2022)18

Past activities

Much work has been done by the Council of Europe over the years in the field of the fight against corruption on one side, and the promotion of quality education on another side. What the ETINED Platform is now proposing is to develop a holistic approach to the problematic linked with transparency, ethics and integrity in education.


Through its legal instruments, monitoring work and European membership, the Council of Europe offers a unique political forum to do so. The monitoring work done by Council of Europe specialised bodies could be enriched by the specific attention given to education by the Platform which, in return, would gain elements of knowledge and expertise through research in the field. The outcomes of the project should be practical, concise and userfriendly guidelines and tools for the benefit of Member States, teachers, students and the educational community.
 

The following priority actions and activities were proposed to be undertaken by the Platform the last biennium: