The Bolgatanga, Nabdam, Bongo and Tongo (BONABOTO) group, a civil society and advocacy group, has appealed to government to find lasting solution to the perennial feeding grant problems in second cycle institutions in the north.

Addressing a news conference in Bolgatanga, Mr Stanley Abopam, Public Relations Officer, said the issue is constantly affecting students academically in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions as they would have to stay at home longer when schools re-open.

BONABOTO expressed regret that all the second cycle institutions in the three regions do not know the exact day to reopen because heads had not received their feeding grants.

Mr Abopam urged government to initiate and implement a sustainable funding policy for education in the north to curtail the recurrence of the phenomenon.

He said one of the major tools that could be used to address the widening gap between the north and south is through education, and impressed on government to pay serious attention to it.

Mr Patrick Tanbanyere Upper East Regional Chairman of the Conference of Assisted Secondary Schools said in an interview that most of the schools owed their food suppliers for two terms and are therefore not prepared to supply them with food stuff on credit.

He said the schools heads have been summoned by the Regional Directorate of Education on the matter and expressed the hope that government would release the feeding grants to enable them re-open by January 13.