Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture Dino Ballotti defended the ministry's performance, citing investments in classrooms, teachers, digital infrastructure and tertiary education.

Ballotti, speaking during a debate on the 2026/27 Appropriation Amendment Bill, said N$150 million was redirected from the operational budget to development spending, increasing the ministry's development allocation from N$588 million to N$738 million dollars.

"When money is tight, we put it into classrooms. The number of permanent classrooms in our public schools rose from 25,740 to 26,472 in a single year. Over the past two financial years, 1,022 permanent classrooms were completed across all 14 regions. In the first half of this financial year alone, 106 pre-primed classrooms and 71 permanent classrooms were completed and are in use."

Ballotti also defended the transfer of N$140 million allocated for basic sports facilities to a different implementation arrangement, saying the ministry would retain responsibility for sports policy and technical standards.

Swapo Party MP, Tuulikki Abraham, who was also in support of the Bill, says the mid-year budget review seeks to balance protecting essential public services, funding productive investment and maintaining fiscal discipline amid weaker mining revenue.

"The adjustment remains aligned with our national development plan. National Development Plan 6 (NDP6) plays a clear emphasis on economic diversification, women's capital and inclusive growth by protecting health and education spending, responding to the food and mouth disease outbreak that threaten rural livelihoods and still directing resources toward productive projects."

Also contributing to the Bill was PDM MP Diederik Vries.

"We must be careful not to measure economic success only by the performance of a few sectors, while the benefits remain insufficiently felt across the wider economy. I therefore encourage the government to place greater emphasis on domestic production, local value addition, small business development and the removal of practical barriers that prevent Namibians from participating meaningfully in the different economic activities."