On Tuesday, 12th November, the APPG on Global Education held an MP Drop-In Session with the Send My Friend To School (SMF) Campaign for its annual Parliamentary Action Day. The event offered Parliamentarians the opportunity to meet with this year’s Send My Friend to School Campaign Champions, aged 13-15, to discuss the role the UK has to play in ensuring disruptions to learning are minimised for children experiencing emergencies and protracted crises.
The Incredible Campaign Champions
Send My Friend to School (SMF) is the UK coalition of the Global Campaign for Education, bringing together civil society organisations, teachers and youth in the UK advocating for the right to education globally. The SMF Campaign is led by Youth Campaign Champions, who represent the voices of students from over 2,000 schools from 262 constituencies across the UK taking part in the Send My Friend to School Campaign in solidarity with their peers around the world demanding universal access to quality education. The current SMF campaign calls on the UK government to take action on education in emergencies, with a specific focus on funding global education. The Campaign Champions led discussions with Parliamentarians on the urgent need to invest in education to ensure no one is left behind. They reiterated that education is a fundamental human right, yet it is overlooked in humanitarian responses. Also, they highlighted that the UK’s prioritisation of education in its development agenda has greatly declined over the last decade, with funding falling from 13.5% of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) in 2013 to just 3.5% in 2023.
Wendy Morton MP pays attention to Campaign Champions
The Youth Campaign Champions expressed concerns about the impact of gradual deprioritisation and disproportionate cuts to the education budget and proposed a return of the ODA to 0.7% of the Gross National Income (GNI). They called on Parliamentarians to urge the UK government to prioritise investing in education for the most marginalised.
Campaign Champions with Lord Purvis
The commitment and passion displayed by the Campaign Champions underlines the importance of listening to youth voices and incorporating their perspectives in decision-making on the issues the world faces today.
Champions leading the discussion with Lord McConnell
During their visit to Parliament, the Campaign Champions also met with Minister for Development and Minister for Gender and Equalities, Anneliese Dodds, and with civil servants from the FCDO Girls’ Education Department. They were also treated to a tour of the Palace of Westminster by APPG Co-Chair Bambos Charalambous MP and witnessed the announcement of the Government’s new Youth Strategy from the Commons public viewing gallery. They ended the day with a petition hand-in at No. 10 Downing Street outlining the asks presented to MPs at the drop-in session.
Champions from Upton High pose with Bambos Charalambous MP
Thank you to all Parliamentarians who participated in the drop-in session, as well as to the incredible staff from Folkstone Grammar School, Croxley Danes School, Haris Academy, Tottenham, Thornleigh Bolton School, St Olave’s Grammar School, Kings Bolton School, Upton High, who supported the Campaign Champions throughout the event.
Samantha Dixon MP pose with Champions from her constituency
More information and recommendations from the Send My Friend to School Campaign can be found in their ‘Let My Friends’ Learn’ report on Education in Emergencies, and SMF’s latest briefing ‘Invest in My Friends’ Learning.’