The Namibia National Students Organisation (NANSO) has refuted claims by the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation that it has failed to furnish the ministry with audited financial statements. The student organisation says it was never required to provide the ministry with audited financial reports, as stated by Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi. This comes at the back of revelations that the organisation failed to account for N$1,2 million over the past three financial years. Kandjii-Murangi said for the 2016/17 financial year, it received N$422 000 and during the 2017-2018 financial year, NANSO received N$337 000. In the current financial year, the student body got N$422 000. “We are currently at a crossroads with NANSO due to their failure to submit audited financial statements,” the minister told the National Assembly last week. Responding to questions sent to her by NAMPA over the weekend, NANSO president Ester Simon said they have been providing the ministry with quarterly financial reports. “Yes, the organisation, as per our understanding of information we received from the ministry, has not submitted audited financial statements in the period of 2015 to 2017, but has however furnished the ministry with financial statements that were not audited,” Simon said. She said they do quarterly reporting on the funding that NANSO receives from the ministry. NANSO gets 50% of their funding at the beginning of a financial year. After exhausting that 50%, as a prerequisite for them to get the remaining amount, the student body reports on the expenditure of the first one. This has been the practice of NANSO’s financial reporting over the last six years, Simon explained. To the contrary, Kandjii-Murangi indicated that NANSO, like any other entity reporting to her ministry, is required to submit audited financial statements before any subvention is released. It remains unknown why the ministry has continuously availed funds to NANSO, despite its failure to submit the said reports. The student body attributed its failure to come up with audited financial reports to a shortage of funds. Under the stewardship of Simon, NANSO resolved to appoint professional independent auditors to look into its finances for the current financial year.