Official switches over from managing beasts to students

Local government of Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province defended Wednesday its decision to transfer the former head of the animal husbandry bureau to work as the new director of the city's education bureau.

Qin Deliang, the new education head of Harbin, switched posts on Monday, according to the local People's Congress. The announcement immediately triggered wide public doubt as to whether the decision was a wise one.

"Qin attended a normal college and has held administrative positions related to education before. Qin is qualified to lead the education bureau. The job transfer is in line with related regulation and law," said a publicity officer at Harbin government in an interview with people.com.cn.

According to the official website of the education bureau, Qin is now in charge of personnel management, planning and auditing.

The Standing Committee of the Harbin People's Congress said that the decision was made through a vote and more than half of the legislators approved the appointment. The job transfer from animal husbandry to education bureau is a same-level transfer instead of a promotion, reported the Legal Mirror.

Qin graduated from a vocational teacher's college in Hulan, Heilongjiang Province. He used to work as a high school teacher and headed local city districts. He became head of animal husbandry in 2012.