As of: February 19, 2024, 5:19 p.m
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Saxony-Anhalt's Education Minister Eva Feußner speaks at a press conference.
© Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/dpa/archive image
The Ministry of Education cannot calm down.
Allegations revolve around a job advertisement, a disciplinary procedure and alleged instructions to delete data.
Minister Feußner now finds clear words.
Magdeburg - Saxony-Anhalt's Education Minister Eva Feußner sees her house exposed to a smear campaign with anonymous accusations and has rejected the allegations.
“After several letters from unknown senders, many rumors, insinuations and scandals as well as a fake email, the limit is now full,” the CDU politician explained in writing on Monday.
“The ministry and I personally are faced with a smear campaign driven by hate and untruths, which must be fully clarified!” The ministry is also examining legal steps.
The media recently reported on an alleged email from the ministry in which there was an instruction to delete data in connection with a controversial job advertisement.
The statement said on Monday: “The Ministry of Education notes that the photo published in the media - apparently a paper on which a printed, torn, reassembled and photocopied email can be seen - "It's a fake." Two ministry employees declared under oath of their own free will that such an email did not exist.
Feußner also assures that he did not receive such an email.
The Ministry of Education cannot calm down.
It recently rejected allegations from the opposition that it had answered questions untruthfully.
“Ultimately, this is a dispute over a wording,” a spokesman for Feußner explained when asked last week.
It was about the planned filling of positions in the context of the Intel settlement in Magdeburg and the initiation of disciplinary proceedings.
The background to the criticism is the Ministry of Education's responses to members of parliament and the media.
The position is said to have been offered to a headmaster in autumn 2022 several weeks before the official advertisement, but he ultimately did not get it.
State Secretary Frank DIESENER had to leave as a result, but another employee of the ministry also came into focus.
This is particularly about the chronological sequence.
The Ministry of Education informed the “Magdeburger Volksstimme” in June 2023: “Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated.” The state government’s response to a small question from state parliament member Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz (Greens) also said in September: “The disciplinary proceedings against the aforementioned Person has been initiated.” However, in January 2024 it was announced that the official had only been informed about the initiation of the procedure on December 5, 2023.
The Green politician then accused the Ministry of Education of making untrue statements.
According to criticism, the initiation of disciplinary proceedings would have required the employee to be informed immediately.
The Ministry of Education sees it differently.
“Preliminary investigations are an essential part of disciplinary proceedings,” said the ministry spokesman.
Ultimately, the criticism is based on an “inaccuracy of wording” and the question of when exactly proceedings are underway, opened or initiated.
It is still unclear exactly on what day the disciplinary proceedings were initiated.
In its statement on Monday, the Ministry of Education further stated: “Allegations of lying must be rejected, as must allegations of delay and concealment.
Now it is important to reassess the information reported in the media and return to appropriate objectivity.” dpa