Last year, the UK Government announced its plans to cut ODA  from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI, undermining funding for schools and education programmes around the world. These cuts are not just numbers on a page, they have devastating effects on millions of marginalised children, limiting their access to learning and threatening their futures.

The consequences are clear: fewer teachers, fewer classrooms, and fewer resources. Education that was already struggling under declining funding is now facing even greater challenges, with the most vulnerable children hardest hit.

How SMF have campaigned for the protection of education within ODA this year

Over the past year, Send My Friend to School has campaigned tirelessly to protect and prioritise education within the UK ODA budget. 

March 2025: We launched the campaign “Invest in My Friend’s Learning”, calling on the UK government to safeguard funding for education.

April 2025: We launched our schools resources, supporting young people around the country to explore the importance of  investment in global education and how to engage with their local communities and MP on the issue. 

May 2025: Campaigners took to the streets outside the Education World Forum to highlight how aid cuts are leaving classrooms empty and pushing millions of children out of school.

June 2025: Leading figures such as Malala Yousafzai as well as activists, creators and academics, joined an open letter to the Prime Minister urging for the protection of girls’ education.

Our Campaign Champions, young people from schools across the UK, were also busy this June as they headed to Westminster to meet MPs, deliver evidence-backed letters to Downing Street, and speak directly about the impact of aid cuts on learning with Baroness Chapman, the Minister for International Development. 

July 2025: We responded to the  FCDO Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25 with a statement on the impact of the cuts on education major, particularly impacts on girls’ education. 

Campaigners outside the Education World Forum. 

launch of the campaign “Invest in My Friend’s Learning” in the UK Parliament. 

Campaign Champions at Westminster on the Parliamentary Action day.

September 2025: A YouGov poll commissioned by Send My Friend to School revealed that 55% of Brits want the overseas aid budget used to ensure children in developing countries can access education showing strong public support for protecting learning, not cuts.

October 2025: Our Campaign Champions were travelling around the country as they attended party conferences. 

At the Labour Party Conference, they shared their vision for global education and met with 20+ MPs, including a conversation with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves MP.

At the Conservative Party Conference, champions met 14+ MPs and took part in a roundtable on education led by Harriett Baldwin MP, discussing the impact of aid cuts on children’s access to school.

At the Liberal Democrat Conference, campaigners spoke with MPs including Alison Bennett, Monica Harding, Tim Farron, Wendy Chamberlain, and Lord Purvis, advocating for the restoration of education funding.

Campaign Champions at the Conservative Party Conference.

Campaign Champions at the Labour Party Conference.

Campaign Champions at the Liberal Democrats Party Conference.

A year on, where are we now?

Send My Friend to School stands firm in its mission to ensure the UK plays its part in ensuring every child receives their right to education. In our statement, a year ago today, we said:

“Investing in global education strengthens societies, promotes stability and is essential for peacebuilding. It plays a critical role in fueling economic growth, fostering equality and preparing children and young people for the future.”

We will continue to campaign for investment in education, raise awareness, and work with young people, MPs, and allies to make sure that cuts do not deprive children of their right to learn.