Even though the reasons for the resignations were different, both ministers stepped down because they were held responsible for problems in the departments they led.
Just two days before Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned over the NEET-UG paper leak row, his Australian counterpart had stepped down.
Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Education Minister Yvette Berry resigned from the cabinet after the ACT Integrity Commission found “serious corrupt conduct” by two senior public servants, ABC reported.
The investigation did not find that Berry herself had done anything wrong. However, the commission found that Katy Haire, the former head of the ACT Education Directorate, and Joshua Ceramidas, Berry’s former chief of staff, had engaged in serious corrupt conduct during the awarding of an A$18.8 million contract for the refurbishment of Campbell Primary School.
According to the commission, the two officials secretly gave the CFMEU (Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union) influence over the tender process. The report said they created a “back door” for the union.
Announcing her resignation on Thursday, Berry said she was taking “full responsibility” and did not want the report to turn into a “parliamentary public circus.” She said she was leaving the cabinet with her “integrity and moral compass intact” and would continue serving as a member of the ACT Legislative Assembly.
“I have never backed down from responsibility, even when it gets hard. And this is no doubt hard,” she said, adding, “I leave this role with my integrity and my moral compass intact and look forward to continuing to achieve more wins for a more equitable Canberra.”
In India, Pradhan’s resignation came after weeks of protests over the alleged leak of the NEET-UG examination paper and other alleged irregularities in competitive exams. Student organisations, education activist Sonam Wangchuk, the satirical Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), and Opposition parties demanded that the government fix accountability at the highest level.
They argued that, as the minister in charge of the education system, Pradhan should take responsibility for the failures and step down.
Even though the reasons for the resignations were different, both ministers stepped down because they were held responsible for problems in the departments they led.
