Popular Democratic Movement MP Nico Smit has requested an investigation and a full audit into the expenditure of the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture for the 2022/2023 Financial Year.

Smit who made the request in the National Assembly, says an investigation into the ministry's expenditure of N$14 billion allocated for the 2022/2023 financial year, with specific reference to infrastructure and textbook expenditure, is needed.

He said the outcomes of the ministry are hopelessly disproportionate to its inputs and are indicative of a need for an investigation into the management and use of its budget.

The MP made reference to the mere 21,4% of Grade 11 learners who qualified for Advanced Subsidiary levels and the remaining 78,6% who did not qualify for tertiary education.

Smit added that despite the injection of billions of dollars into the ministry for the 2022/2023 financial year, reports of a scarcity of basic such as textbooks are still an issue in many schools.

Overcrowded hostels, poor living conditions, lack of ablution and toilet facilities, and bat-infested or collapsing ceilings are some major challenges schools face, says Smit.

He emphasized that these challenges raise the question of where the ministry's priorities lay and what the money allocated to education is being spent on, as some schools are still not conducive for teaching.