Anti-graft chief targets country's universities

Italy's national anti-corruption chief Raffaele Cantone recently vowed to wage war on nepotism, cronyism and graft in the country's universities, reports IANS.

"We are going to tackle this problem head-on and involve the Ministry of Education, universities and research, university rectors, faculty and students," Cantone told Italian daily La Repubblica in an interview. He said in this way “we may convince the government and parliament to earmark more funds for higher education".

While investment is also a key issue, the scourge of nepotism and a system of patronage exploited by well-connected and corrupt academics known as 'barons' must be "relegated to the past", Cantone said. "Introducing meritocracy and transparency and wiping out nepotism and the 'barons' is surely the best way to burnish the image, credibility and prestige of Italy's universities," he said.
Full report on the Business Standard site