Education and child activist, Bright Appiah, is suggesting a national debate on the relevance of the provision of the feeding grants to schools in the three northern regions in order to decide the future of the programme.

Mr. Appiah, who is the President of the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition said the debate will put to rest frustrations associated with the programme.

Speaking to Joy News Wednesday, Mr. Appiah noted that it is time for the system to be reviewed, and therefore insisting that government take a bold step in putting up the issue for discussion to determine its significance to the system.

"But if government still wants to go ahead, then government should strengthen the system so that the system will work", the President of the coalition noted.

Mr. Appiah was commenting on the delay of making feeding grants to schools in the three northern regions, necessitating hindrances in re-opening of the schools.

The Education Ministry says it is confident feeding grants will be released to the schools in two weeks.

This follows several complaints by some heads of schools in the three regions that government has delayed the payment of feeding grants to them.

Some schools have remained closed as a result, and the school heads maintain they cannot reopen until the grants are paid.

The deputy director general of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Charles Tsegah told Joy News the situation is being worked on as discussions were being held with the heads of the schools involved.

According to him, the heads of the institutions have accepted that with the assurances given by government, issues will be managed to get few things done to enable the schools reopened while awaiting the feeding grant.

However, Presidential staffer Dr. Clement Apaak noted that it will be suicidal to scrap the project, which he said will not favour students from the three northern regions.

According to him, in spite of all the administrative challenges encountered by the provision of the feeding grant, the system can be reviewed and ensure that the problems are resolved.

Dr. Apaak pointed out that the role played by the feeding grant should not be down played as it has enhanced the ability of students from the three northern regions to access education.

He therefore viewed the proposal to discuss the relevance of the feeding programme as "needless and uncalled for" if the developmental gap between the North and South is to be bridged to ensure that quality and affordable education is brought to the three northern regions.

He therefore assured that the ministry of the education is working on the issue to get it resolved soon.