Corruption in higher education and government measures for its prevention

The problem of corruption at universities in Kazakhstan and other CIS countries is considered in the article. The author tries to discover the problem of corruption as a social issue preventing state development and higher education system development. The author attempted to describe in detail the preconditions, causes and consequences of corruption in higher education. Specific examples of different corruption cases at Kazakhstan universities are provided. The problem of corruption existence at Kazakhstan universities really prevents university development and accrediting Kazakhstan universities by international organizations and accreditation agencies. The definitions of the term "corruption" provided by different authors are compared and analyzed in the article. The author also made an attempt to provide reasons for being higher education system free from corruption. Some techniques and measures to avoid corruption are offered. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.