The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, stated that discrepancies in over 22,000 employee records and government salary data, identified during the work of the Integrated School Data Collection Platform (ISDCP), do not confirm the existence of 'ghost employees.'
Gwarube clarified that the preliminary findings from the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) do not establish that any individual is a 'ghost employee,' that public funds were paid improperly, or that any official engaged in misconduct. She emphasized that such conclusions cannot be drawn without further investigation.
These statements were made in response to questions from ActionSA parliamentarian Lerato Ngobeni, who inquired whether the Ministry of Basic Education was investigating the alleged mismatch between employee data and government payroll data. Ngobeni also asked about the number of records checked and whether disciplinary, civil, or criminal proceedings had been initiated as a result of the review.
In May, the ELRC presented a report to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education regarding the results of an initiative launched at the request of the ministry and trade unions to verify learners, schools, and teachers nationwide. This work began last year after the Department of Public Service and Administration instructed all departments to conduct a count of all public servants. The goal was to eliminate issues related to using unreliable data when determining the number of teacher posts allocated to schools based on student numbers.
The verification covered 21,174 schools across nine provinces; 438,076 employees were counted and verified, and 11.7 million learners were checked. However, approximately 22,000 employee records were flagged as having discrepancies, including mismatches in salary records, duplicate entries, and anomalies requiring further study. The report also showed that over 610,000 learners lack documentary proof, more than 360,000 of whom are South African citizens.
In her response, Gwarube reported that the Chief Director of the Department of Basic Education, Matanzima Mveli, is coordinating the national reconciliation process, monitoring progress, and consolidating verified information received from eight participating provinces. She also explained that the figure in the over 22,000 records specifically refers to 22,837 individuals registered in schools and should not be interpreted as finding 22,837 'ghost employees.' Gwarube supported the ELRC Secretary General, Cindy Cofu, who stated there was no mention of 'ghost employees' within the initiative, noting that 'datasets requiring legal investigation are being flagged.'
The Minister explained that data discrepancies can arise for various reasons. These include new employees not yet uploaded to the Persal system; former employees whose records were not deleted from ISDCP after resignation, termination of employment, or contract expiry; temporary differences when extracting data from relevant systems; and incorrect or incomplete identification or Persal numbers hindering electronic matching. She added that each record must be individually reconciled and verified before any conclusions can be drawn.
Gwarube confirmed that the process of reviewing and classifying the flagged records is ongoing. She stated that the department cannot yet provide a verified provincial breakdown of cases involving improper payment of public funds. Such amounts can only be determined after individual records are cross-referenced with information on identification, appointment, attendance, salary, and termination. Furthermore, she specified that if an employee's guilt is established through the review, disciplinary proceedings will be initiated, and improperly paid remuneration will be recovered. In cases of fraud, corruption, identity theft, or other criminal behavior, the matter will be referred to the relevant law enforcement agencies. Provinces have been instructed to complete the investigation and verification of all flagged records by July 31.
Joy Maimela, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, stated that they will meet with the provinces to discuss the ELRC report findings and understand their action plan. Maimela expressed anticipation that the provinces will begin conducting forensic audits in cases of fraud and present information on administrative errors to the committee.
The Rampur Development Authority (RDA) has ordered the demolition of 38 buildings at Muhammad Ali Jauhar University, which belongs to Samajwadi party leader Azam Khan. The basis for this decision is that the buildings were constructed without approved building plans, an official representative reported on Wednesday.
The order was issued in accordance with Section 27(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Town Planning and Development Act of 1973. The process began after a regional junior engineer submitted a report on alleged illegal constructions on the university premises. After receiving notification, the university provided its response on July 8, and a personal meeting was scheduled for July 15.
During the hearings, the university argued that the campus, located in the village of Singanhera, was outside the jurisdiction of the RDA until September 27, 2024, and therefore did not require its approval for construction. Furthermore, it insisted that the buildings were constructed significantly earlier and could not be deemed illegal under current regulations. However, the RDA rejected these arguments, stating that permission from the competent authority was mandatory at the time of construction, regardless of whether the area later fell under its jurisdiction.
According to the order, records from Rampur Panchayat showed that only the medical college and academic block had approved plans, while the other 38 buildings lacked valid permits. It was also noted that the university knew about the need to obtain permission, as it only received approval for two sanctioned buildings and built the rest without proper documentation. Consequently, the administration concluded that these structures violate the Uttar Pradesh Town Planning and Development Act and are subject to demolition.
Muhammad Ali Jauhar University, established in 2006 by an act of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, was one of Azam Khan's key projects. In recent years, it has been involved in legal disputes concerning alleged land grabbing and breach of lease agreements, while the Uttar Pradesh government restored large parts of the campus. Earlier this year, Khan and his family officially stepped down from the management board of the university. Khan previously held the position of Chancellor and Lifetime President of the Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar Trust, which manages the university.
A conference was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, dedicated to strengthening cooperation in the field of legal education and interaction with legal media. The event took place at the House of Human Rights.
The conference was organized by the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights together with the editorial board of the journal 'Hayot va Qonun' (Life and Law). The event is timed to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence and the 30th anniversary of the National Center itself.
The Director of the National Center and Academician Akmal Saidov opened the conference, noting that the celebrations of the 35th anniversary of independence are being held according to the presidential decree of April 1, 2026. He emphasized that the approved concept and program of commemorative events, conducted under the slogan 'Together with one Motherland and one people we will build a new life and a new future!', reflect the achievements of New Uzbekistan and its growing international authority.
Saidov particularly focused on legal education, calling the teaching of human rights one of the key areas of the Center's activities. He announced that the Center has initiated systematic seminars and training sessions in all regions of the country for prevention inspectors working with mahalla public assemblies. It is expected that over 10,000 such inspectors serving about 9,000 mahallas across Uzbekistan will undergo training.
As an example of its public information work, Saidov noted that in the first half of 2026, the National Center published 2,228 materials on its official website. Information was also regularly disseminated through media in Uzbek, Russian, and English. Participants noted that the National Center is the founder or co-founder of several specialized legal publications, including the journals 'Democratization and Human Rights' and 'Public Opinion and Human Rights'. The journal 'Hayot va Qonun' has now joined the Center's permanent information partners and will contribute to promoting legal knowledge and strengthening legal culture in society.
During the event, the latest edition of the journal 'Hayot va Qonun', as well as legal publications and new issues of the journal, were presented to the House of Human Rights. Siroddin Rustamov, head of Hayot va Qonun LLC, outlined the main directions of future cooperation with the National Center, while editor-in-chief Mahmudxon Toirov spoke about the key legal issues covered by the journal.
One of the main outcomes of the conference was the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights and the editorial board of the journal 'Hayot va Qonun'. The document was signed by Akmal Saidov and Siroddin Rustamov. The memorandum provides for the development of joint projects in the field of education and public awareness, expanding cooperation in informing the population about legal problems, supporting scientific research, and promoting international standards in human rights.
The event concluded with a poetry evening titled 'Independent Uzbekistan - My Pride, My Honor', where works dedicated to the country's independence, homeland, and the creative labor of the people of Uzbekistan were presented. Poets and journalists presented literary works reflecting themes of patriotism, peace, and national unity. The conference marked another step in strengthening interaction between state structures and specialized legal publications aimed at increasing legal literacy, promoting respect for human rights, and expanding public access to quality legal information.
The Wiesental Primary School was conceived with an orthogonal layout on its site, allowing the building to open up to the natural landscape of the Lorze river valley.
The campus arrangement was planned to organize the different programmatic functions autonomously. Simultaneously, this design maintains the notion that the school should function as a collective space shared by the community.
