A Non-Governmental Organization operating in the Upper West region, the Community Development Alliance – Ghana (CDA), has given government a two week ultimatum to release funds for payment of feeding grants in all government assisted schools in the three regions of the north.
The group has said the failure of government to comply with its demands will lead to protests and a subsequent boycott of the 2016 general elections.
[contextly_sidebar id=”uMI4T3u2pKc42PmKJtrn6hyv5EQXkm7d”]The Executive director of the Community Development Alliance, Kantor Salifu Issifu, reminded that “the government of Ghana has not released funds for the feeding of senior high school students for the second and third terms of the 2015/16 academic year as well as the first term of the 2016/17academic year.”
He also questioned if the payments of the feeding grants was even budgeted for in annual financial statements approved by Parliament.
But Mr. Issifu’s demands were clear as he demanded that, “Government must realise all outstanding claims of feeding grants to all the beneficiary schools within two weeks.”
“Failure to do so will attract a wave of protests that will culminate in a massive boycott of the 2016 elections by parents and senior high school students who are eligible to vote in this year’s elections,” he added.
Protest against non-payment of feeding grants
The youth association of Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, Nabdam, Bongo and Talensi (BONABOTO), in June 2016 also demanded that government settles all feeding arrears owed second cycle schools in the three regions.
The group accused government of wrongly prioritizing unnecessary projects to the detriment of second-cycle students in Northern Ghana, adding that government is prioritizing areas it will get votes from and neglecting areas that can guarantee the future of the country.
–
By Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana