Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentarian Sanjay Raut stated on Sunday that the recently appointed Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi is only an interim minister. He asserted that the Centre is looking for a permanent replacement and suggested that the post could eventually go to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Speaking at a press conference, Raut noted that Joshi is better suited for his previous duties and characterized his current role as temporary. He said: 'Pralhad Joshi is currently the interim Education Minister. At best, he can become a good coal minister. I believe this is a temporary arrangement, and the government is actively searching for a permanent Education Minister.'
Raut believed that Fadnavis, due to his education and ideological alignment with the RSS, could be the preferred choice of the Centre. He added: 'As far as I know, Devendra Fadnavis could be the best Education Minister in the country. Modi ji has also made a decision on this matter. He aligns with the RSS ideology, is well-educated, and has experience in state governance.'
However, Raut clarified that the decision was delayed due to uncertainty over who would replace Fadnavis as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra if he were transferred to the Union Cabinet.
Furthermore, Raut once again criticized the Centre regarding student unrest at Jantantra Mantr, accusing the police of exceeding their authority against protesters and placing the responsibility on Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He also claimed that the Modi government was forced to concede to the demands of the protesters only after prolonged pressure from the youth movement.
Raut stated: 'The Modi government was forced to yield to the strength of the youth and accept their demands. Governments must remain humble before the people, but humility and restraint have disappeared from the lexicon of the Bharatiya Janata Party.'
These remarks came a day after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from the post of Union Education Minister amid nationwide unrest over the leak of the NEET-UG 2026 exam, after which Pralhad Joshi received additional powers in the Ministry of Education.
The government has announced the formation of a high-level task force that will be led by Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys. This decision was made public by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday as part of ongoing announcements regarding education reforms.
The creation of this group occurred a day after the satirical platform Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) concluded its 37-day protests. The protests began in Delhi on June 21st and were triggered by the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following an alleged leak of NEET (UG) examination questions.
In addition to Nilekani, the task force includes figures such as S. Somanath, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO); Tapan Decca, former director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB); V Kamakoti, director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras; Anita Karwal, former Secretary of Education, and logistics expert Amrit Lal Mina.
Nandan Nilekani is a co-founder and chairman of the technology giant Infosys, based in Bengaluru. He also served as the founding chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the body responsible for issuing Aadhaar cards. Between 2009 and 2014, he worked in the central government led by the Congress as a cabinet minister.
In January 2023, Nilekani was appointed co-chair of the 'G20 Working Group on Digital Infrastructure for Economic Transformation, Financial Inclusion and Development'. Born in Bengaluru, the 71-year-old Nilekani graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay in 1978. In 2006, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award. Furthermore, in 2006 and 2009, Time magazine included him in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2024, added him to its list of the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence. Nilekani is also the author or co-author of three books.
Even though over 70 million rand was spent on improving the sewage infrastructure in Boipatong, students at Lebohang High School are forced to attend classes near raw sewage. This leads to the contamination of the area, rendering sports fields unusable, and constant health problems that overshadow the educational process.
The constant overflows have raised new questions about why students remain exposed to wastewater despite years of infrastructure modernization work. During a recent inspection visit, members of the school's safety and infrastructure committee described a learning environment that is increasingly polluted due to overflowing sewage.
They reported that regular sewer pipe bursts have made sports fields unusable, forcing students to play on paved areas outside the classrooms. One representative noted: 'Children now prefer to play on the pavement in front of the classrooms. The situation worsens during the rainy season. This negatively affects teachers, students, and all other school staff.'
Furthermore, it has been observed that the overflowing sewage regularly reaches the area near the school kitchen where food for students is prepared.
Onwabile Lublelana, a representative of the Gauteng Department of Education, stated that the department is aware of the problem and dispatched a team to assess the conditions at the school. The assessment showed that the municipal sewer line runs through the school grounds, causing recurring flooding and sewage leaks on the schoolyard.
Lublelana added that although the Department completed the project to replace the sewage and wells on the school premises, they are in constant contact with the Emfuleni Municipality.
Mahosonke Sangweni, a representative of the Emfuleni Municipality, acknowledged that the main sewer modernization project is not yet complete, and the final unfinished section is expected to take another three or four weeks before the new line is operational. However, Sangweni insists that the recurring leaks at Lebohang High School are not solely related to this project; he claims that there are pre-existing drainage system issues at the school, as well as internal network changes requiring additional repairs, including the construction of a new well near the school kitchen.
The Municipality stated that it recognizes the impact of the situation on learning, knowledge acquisition, as well as on the health and safety of students and staff, and emphasized that a permanent solution will require urgent repair of the sewer line that directs wastewater from the school into the new main pipeline.
DA candidate for Mayor of Emfuleni, Kingsol Chabalala, questioned how over 80 million rand of public funds could be spent on modernizing sewage infrastructure and roads while students and residents continue to face recurring sewage overflows.
He stated that the residents of Boipatong deserve an explanation after the Emfuleni Municipality and the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport spent over 80 million rand of public money to improve Sekati Street, including road surfacing and resolving long-standing sewage problems. Chabalala called this situation another example of poor project management, insufficient oversight, and an inability to ensure a return on investment for taxpayers.
He stressed that every penny of public funds must bring measurable benefit to the residents, and infrastructure projects must be carefully planned, professionally executed, and undergo strict quality control before contractors are paid. The Municipality reiterated that a permanent solution requires repairing the line that carries sewage from the school to the new main pipeline, and added that due to associated health risks, the work must be urgently carried out by the Metsi-a-Lekoa maintenance team.
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