Combating corruption is a top priority for the Afghan and U.S. governments.  A letter issued from President Karzai’s office in January 2010 instructed all ministries to design strategies to eliminate corruption, and the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) Human Resources Department established a committee to draft an anti-corruption policy for its department.  USAID’s Building Education Support Systems for Teachers (BESST) project provided technical assistance and supported the process.

The committee, consisting of four high-ranking officials from the Human Resources Department, formulated two documents: “Anti-Corruption Policy and Implementation Plan for the MoE’s Human Resources Department” and “Procedures to Review Complaints of All MoE Personnel.”  The new policies and procedures will take effect after review by the general director of Human Resources Department and approval by the minister of education.

The new policies will help the Human Resources Department to tackle corruption effectively and to establish a work environment that ensures fairness for all employees.  One member of the Human Resources Department, eager to see the new policy take effect, stated, “Corruption is a very unprofessional act; the strict enforcement of this policy will make employees realize that corruption is not acceptable in the workplace anymore. The procedure to review complaints will provide an opportunity for employees to stand for their rights.”