Minister seeks ways to boost ethics, reduce plagiarism

A plan to promote ethics and professional conduct among the various branches of the higher education and scientific research sectors is underway in Algeria, partly aimed at reducing the extent of plagiarism in universities.

At a recent video conference, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Chems-Eddine Chitour said a meeting of the National Council of Ethics and Professional Conduct held on 20 January at the Tahri Mohamed University in Bechar was devoted to the development of such an action plan.

According to local news reports, the minister has called for the installation of local ethics councils at the university level. The move is aimed at enhancing trust between the various actors in the university, restoring the image of the university and enhancing respect for science.

Other priorities include the revision of regulatory texts relating to the organisation of the National Council of Ethics and Professional Conduct and the introduction of teaching modules on ethics and professional conduct.

It was determined that the rules of ethics prevailing within the university community must be brought to the attention of students at the beginning of the academic year and mechanisms to eradicate plagiarism should be established.

It should be noted that several Algerian universities already have their own ethics charters, like that of Kasdi Merbah in Ouargla (800 kilometres south of Algiers), and Sétif (250 kilometres east of Algiers), which also has its own ethics and professional conduct committee.

The main concerns of the university community relate to the phenomenon of plagiarism which has taken on alarming proportions and which has already been mentioned by several ministers in the sector in the past.

However, a solution is yet to be found and methods used to track down plagiarism remain ineffective in flushing out cheaters.