How can education systems use data to strengthen transparency while protecting privacy? Can digital technologies help prevent fraud rather than create new opportunities for it? And how can governments, civil society, and the media work together to uphold democratic values?
These questions were at the heart of discussions in Strasbourg, France, on 14-16 October 2026, as the Council of Europe Platform on Ethics, Transparency and Integrity in Education (ETINED) marked ten years of plenary meetings and held its first International Forum on Transparency in Governance of Higher Education Institutions.
Addressing the role of transparency in higher education, Villano Qiriazi, Head of the Education Department at the Council of Europe, remarked: “Transparency is a key element of the democratic governance of higher education institutions and of their accountability to the society they serve. It cannot be separated from institutional autonomy and academic freedom: higher education institutions are strongest when they are open about how they take decisions, use their resources, and treat their students and staff.”
Martín Benavides, Director of the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), also highlighted the importance of transparency and integrity in education, stating: “We should frame integrity in education as a democratic imperative, recognizing that transparency is not only about trust, but also about safeguarding the fundamental values on which democratic societies are built.”
A partnership that drives change
ETINED’s mission closely aligns with IIEP’s work through ETICO, its Ethics and Corruption in Education programme. For more than two decades, ETICO has generated knowledge and practical tools, built the capacities of thousands of education stakeholders through training and peer learning, and provided technical support to countries through corruption-risk assessments, public expenditure tracking surveys, and the development of ethics charters and codes of conduct.
The partnership between IIEP and the Council of Europe began as early as 2013, when the Institute contributed to the Prague Forum marking ETINED’s launch. Since then, the two organizations have collaborated on a range of initiatives, including teacher codes of conduct, academic integrity, capacity-building in the Western Balkans, and, more recently, open school data, which will lead to the co-publication of policy guidelines in 2027.
Montenegro is a strong example of this collaboration in action. Following a joint study visit and technical support from IIEP, the country strengthened its integrity framework through the adoption of an Academic Integrity Law in 2019 and an Ethics Charter in 2021. Further training has helped national bodies and higher education representatives put those commitments into practice.
read more: https://www.iiep.unesco.org/en/articles/how-international-collaboration-builds-trust-education
