Updated 3.45pm 

Education Minister Justyne Caruana's decision to hand a €5,000-a-month direct order to a close friend was disgusting behaviour which demanded action from prime minister Robert Abela, the NGO Repubblika said on Tuesday.

MaltaToday reported over the weekend how the minister had handed a three-month contract to footballer Daniel Bogdanovic to visit various government schools and come up with recommendations and initiatives to improve the national school of sport’s ability to produce elite athletes.

Repubblika observed that since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out more than a year ago, the education ministry had stopped payments for various scholarships, and for education projects in schools, while teachers had to use old outdated laptops for online teaching while schools were closed.

And yet, minister Justyne Caruana found the funds for a €5,000-a-month direct order to a close friend, a footballer who, the NGO said, has no qualifications in the education sector and was tasked to go around schools at a time when they are closed because of COVID-19. 

This the NGO said, was disgusting and unacceptable. 

"At a time when every cent should go towards easing the impact of the COVID-19 measures on pupils, the minister has the people's money on her friend," the NGO said.

It asked what the prime minister would do about Caruana. 

Independent electoral candidate Arnold Cassola has asked the commissioner for standards in public life to look into the allegations concerning Bogdanovic's engagement.