(유럽/독일) 2013년 표절문제로낙마한 독일 교육부 女性장관 Annette Schavan

출처: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-21395102

9 February 2013

German minister Annette Schavan quits over 'plagiarism'

Analysts say Ms Schavan's resignation will be hugely embarrassing to Chancellor Merkel

German Education Minister Annette Schavan has resigned after a university stripped her of her doctorate for plagiarism.

Duesseldorf's Heinrich Heine University voted last Tuesday to remove her doctorate following a review.

Ms Schavan, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, insisted she would still fight the university's ruling.

In 2011, Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg also quit after allegations he plagiarised his thesis.

Johanna Wanka, the culture and science minister of the state of Lower Saxony, has been appointed as Ms Schavan's successor.

Analysis

By Stephen EvansBBC News

Germany's biggest selling newspaper, Bild, said that the education minister being caught plagiarising was as though the finance minister was revealed to have a secret Swiss bank account or the transport minister being caught drinking and driving.

Germany has some form when it comes to politicians and plagiarism. The latest scandal follows that of Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, who was similarly caught with sections of his dissertation being the work of others. It led to him being dubbed in the press Dr Cut-and-Paste and Dr zu Googleberg.

These cases occur in Germany partly because of the German obsession with titles. German politicians take them very seriously, seeing them as a mark of intellectual respectability. It is not uncommon, for example, for a professor with two doctorates to expect to be called 'Professor, Doctor, Doctor'.

Part of the education minister's brief is to oversee German universities.

'Nation first'

Addressing Mrs Merkel with the words "Dear Angela,", Ms Schavan thanked the chancellor for her friendship.

"I think today is the right day to leave my ministerial post and to concentrate on my duties as a member of parliament," the 57-year-old said.

"I will not accept the university's decision and will take legal action. I have never copied nor plagiarised. The accusations hit me very hard."

Ms Schavan added that her main priority was to protect her department and the government.

"First the nation, then the party, then myself," Ms Schavan said, citing words used by former state prime minister Erwin Teufel.

"When an education minister sues a university, then that comes with strains, for my office, for the ministry, and for the Christian Democrats. I want to avoid just that."

The university of Dusseldorf decided to look into Ms Schavan's 1980 doctoral thesis after an anonymous blogger raised questions about it.

The faculty committee found she had "systematically and intentionally" copied parts of her thesis, Person and Conscience.

In a statement declaring the doctorate invalid and withdrawing it from Ms Schavan, the faculty head Bruno Bleckmann said they had "decided by secret ballot, by 12 votes to two, with one abstention".

Ms Schavan had been scathing in her criticism of Mr Guttenberg when the scandal of his plagiarism broke.

"As someone who was herself awarded a doctorate 31 years ago and who has supervised several doctoral candidates, I am ashamed and not just behind closed doors," she told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung at the time.

Analysts say her resignation will be hugely embarrassing to Mrs Merkel.

The chancellor is facing federal elections on 22 September.

She said she accepted the resignation "with a heavy heart".

** 표절에 관한 밝은 하늘의 견해 **

1. 독일에선 벌써 2년전 발생했던 사건이지만, 그 당시 독일 교육부 장관은 표절문제로 사임했다.

2. 선진국을 지향한다는 한국은 표절문제에 대해선 후진국 수준이다. 표절에 대해 관대하다. 이러면서 선진국을 지향한다는 게 말이 되는가?

3. 선진국은 물질적으로만 부유해지면 저절로 선진국인가? 정신상태나 사람들의 마인드 역시 선진국 다운 태도나 철학을 견지해야 진정한 선진국 아닌가? 

4. 표절에 대해 한국사회가 관대하다는 얘기는 한국사회가 총체적으로 부패했다는 반증이 아니고 무엇이겠는가?

5. 어떻게 한국사회에선 고위직에 오르는 사람들은 하나같이 문제투성이인가? 표절, 의료문제를 빙자한 고의적 병역기피, 부동산투기, 위장전입 등등등. 잘 찾아보면 깨끗한 인재도 많을 텐데, 어째서 그런 하자있는 인간들만 높은 자리에 앉히는 건지... 앉히는 사람이나 그렇다고 날름 받아먹는 인간이나 둘 다 어리석긴 마찬가지다. 국가에 누가되는 인간들...