CM HD Kumaraswamy wows to clean up Education Department

Will personally scrutinise files related to scams, various appointments

A day after HD Kumaraswamy decided to keep the Higher Education portfolio with himself, the chief minister has decided to clean up the department known for its red tape and corruption.

According to people in the know, the CM has decided to up all these files related to controversial matters like marks cards, recruitments and appointments of vice-chancellors and registrars of all the state universities.

There was that huge drama when the previous higher education minister probed the matters of Bangalore University’s (BU) marks card scam and various other universities, including the Mangalore University which violated the higher education department’s order.
Rajkumar Khatri, principal secretary, higher education department told BM: “From Bangalore University to Mangalore University, there are multiple issues that have to be sorted out. A team has been constituted under the leadership of SA Kori, chairman of higher education council, and we are in the process of cleaning up the department.”

Sources said HDK had gone a step ahead and asked officials concerned to bring all the files, which were sanctioned to implement the MSIL marks cards, to his table for his immediate scrutiny.

Another official from the CM’s office said, “The CM has asked for the files and he will personally look into them. Orders released by the previous higher education ministry will be monitored closely.”

Kumaraswamy, it’s learnt, will also closely look into some of the controversial appointments of several vice-chancellors across the state.
An official from a state university said, “The previous minister indeed spoiled the department and the ministry. Scams and corruption charges were all over. I hope the CM, who is handling higher education department, will take all these matters seriously.”

Source: BM