Two days before Dharmendra Pradhan, another education minister resigned

Two education ministers in two democracies resigned within 48 hours. Two days before India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned amid mounting political pressure over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, his counterpart in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Yvette Berry, quit.

In Short

• Berry quit after a report on Campbell Primary School contract award
• ACT commission found serious corrupt conduct by two senior officials
• It made no adverse findings against Berry, who accepted responsibility

Within the span of 48 hours, two education ministers in two democracies stepped down from office.

On Saturday in India, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned amid mounting political pressure over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy and following the government's crackdown of protesters that they said was brutal.

Just two days earlier, on Thursday, the Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Yvette Berry, resigned. Berry stepped down despite an integrity commission found no personal wrongdoing against her, reported the ABC.

The ACT is a self-governing federal territory of Australia that includes the national capital, Canberra, and has its own elected government and ministers, much like Delhi's National Capital Territory in India.

The two resignations were triggered by distinct circumstances.

AUSTRALIA'S BERRY RESIGNED DESPITE BEING FOUND NOT GUILTY

Berry's resignation followed a report by the ACT Integrity Commission into the awarding of a multi-million-dollar contract to redevelop Campbell Primary School.

The commission found that the former director-general of the ACT Education Directorate and Berry's then chief of staff had engaged in "serious corrupt conduct", concluding they had "dishonestly provided a back door" for the Construction Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) to advance its strategic interests during the procurement process, reported the ABC.

The commission, however, made no adverse findings against Berry herself.

Despite that, Berry announced her resignation from the government on Thursday (July 23).

"I have never backed down from responsibility, even when it gets hard," she said. "I have made this decision because I don't want a parliamentary public circus to follow this report."

She added that she took "full responsibility" for the findings made against members of her staff and would continue serving as a legislator from the backbench.

THE PRINCIPLE OF MINISTERIAL RESPONSIBILITY

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr accepted Berry's resignation while making it clear that the Integrity Commission had cleared her of any involvement or wrongdoing.

At the same time, Barr pointed to the ACT's Ministerial Code of Conduct, which states that ministers are accountable for the decisions and actions of their staff.

He described the commission's findings as "deeply concerning" and said the episode carried a clear lesson that ministers and ministerial offices should have no role in active procurement processes.

Berry's decision revealed the prevalence of a long-established Westminster convention followed in Australia, Britain and several Commonwealth democracies, where ministers are expected to answer not only for their own conduct but also for failures within their departments or ministerial offices.

TWO RESIGNATIONS, DIFFERENT CONTEXTS

Pradhan's resignation came after weeks of nationwide protests over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, and leak of NEET-UG exam papers. The satirical CJP, activist Sonam Wangchuk, then Opposition parties and other student groups demanded political accountability at the highest level. They demanded Pradhan to be removed.

Berry's resignation in Australia arose from an independent integrity commission's findings against officials working within her portfolio.

Both resignations converge on the same political principle of ministerial responsibility.

Whether they are a result of public pressure, political calculation or constitutional convention, the resignations give a peak into how parliamentary systems in democracies work. We saw how accountability is an important principle. In democracies, the political executive is judged not only by what they do themselves but also by what happens under their watch.

- Ends