Education minister removed and replaced by vice minister

• Source: Global Times
• [08:41 November 02 2009]
• Comments

AP reported Monday that Zhou's removal came just weeks after two senior administrators at Wuhan University were arrested on bribery allegations. While Zhou has not been publicly linked to the scandal, he spent much of his career in Wuhan working in the education system, and served as mayor for two years before being elevated to the minister.

No government sources verified the report.

The Hubei Provincial People's Procuratorate approved the arrest of Chen Zhaofang and Long Xiaole in September on bribery charges. The two have been deprived of their administrative and Party posts.

Chen, 59, was the vice president of the university. Long, 61, was the deputy secretary of the university committee of the Communist Party of China.

Chen and Long have accepted bribes linked to the university's infrastructure projects, the People's Daily website reported.

It is one of most recent cases to emerge after the country expanded and upgraded its higher education system in the 1990s.

Global Times/Agencies