Image: The film “Corruption in Education: Defining and Recognizing Corruption” / YouTube

In order to combat corruption, one first has to recognize it and stop treating it as something “normal.” Activists argue that public education is the key to reversing attitudes that allow societies to remain complacent to corruption.

In this context, three youth anti-corruption networks from Central and Eastern Europe are sharing their experiences in a new documentary series about corruption in education, which is now available online:

Corrupt practices are especially visible in education systems. From kindergarten to university, generations of children and students grow up learning about corruption from their own experiences. As a result these generations develop particular sets of attitudes and behaviors:

“Everything can be bought. Among other things, there is a message: It's important to succeed, no matter what means you are using to achieve success…” [the film quotes professor Cedomir Cupic, the former president of Serbian Anti-corruption Agency].

Produced by Macedonia's Youth Educational Forum, the series includes testimonies by students, teachers, and activists affected by corruption (and now involved in fighting it) in Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina and Armenia.

The first episode, “Defining and Recognizing Corruption,” is available in English and Macedonian:

The next four documentaries in the series will cover “Youth Networking Against Corruption,” “Data and Research on Corruption,” “Online and Offline Activism Against Corruption,” and “Institutional Communication.” The networks contributing to the production are the Anti-Corruption Student Network in South East Europe, Global Youth Anti-Corruption Network, and Transparent Education Network.