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Multilateral Foreign Policy > Published by David Taylor, May 18th 2010 at 3:05 pm

Cuts to development education may increase public scepticism

Yesterday the first cuts at DfID were announced by the new Conservative administration, as new international development secretary Andrew Mitchell announced that projects designed to raise awareness of development issues amongst the UK public are to be scrapped.

DFID He said:

“I’m surprised that Labour ministers thought these projects were the best use of British aid.”

Yet he has simply listed the projects to be cut without listing any explanation for their original rationale. In fact, development education in the UK has been an important part of DfID’s programme from it’s creation. As we have reported previously, DfID’s first White Paper in 1997 established the Building Support for Development programme (BSD) which addressed the need for an:

“Increased public understanding of our global mutual dependence and the need for international development.”

Stalls at music festivals may sound frivolous, but they are a tool many development NGOs use regularly in order to engage with the UK public to raise support for their work and their campaigns. Is training nursery school teachers so that they can make children aware of the world they live in from an early age such a bad idea?

This follows articles in The Times and by the right-wing think tank IPN criticising the spending of aid in the UK, reported here previously. In DfID’s first White Paper the then Secretary of State Clare Short stated in the foreword the need for:

“An informed public opinion [to] help ensure that the UK plays its full role in generating the international political will necessary to meet the international poverty eradication targets.”

In the current climate the public naturally wants to see value for money from all public spending – but that cannot be used an excuse to cut development education, a key tool in generating that political will amongst the public.

http://twitter.com/houseoftwits/status/14229530779 House Of Twits

RT @leftfootfwd Cuts to development education may increase public scepticism: http://bit.ly/9lClU4
http://twitter.com/labourcid/status/14230312533 LCID

RT @leftfootfwd: Cuts to development education may increase public scepticism: http://bit.ly/9lClU4
http://twitter.com/peterptashko/status/14230534228 Peter Ptashko

RT @LabourCID: RT @leftfootfwd: Cuts to development education may increase public scepticism: http://bit.ly/9lClU4
http://twitter.com/shamikdas/status/14230810185 Shamik Das

Gr8 article by @davidtaylor85 of @labourcid on @leftfootfwd Cuts to development education may increase public scepticism http://is.gd/ceGxo
http://twitter.com/tulipsiddiq/status/14231460493 Tulip Siddiq

RT @shamikdas: Gr8 article by @davidtaylor85 of @labourcid on @leftfootfwd Cuts to development education may increase public scepticism http://is.gd/ceGxo
http://twitter.com/tim_nicholls/status/14232166044 Tim Nicholls

RT @DavidTaylor85 RT @leftfootfwd: Cuts to development education may increase public scepticism: http://bit.ly/9lClU4 <good article!
steven III

“a key tool in generating that political will amongst the public”

you mean propaganda.
http://twitter.com/dannycarrington/status/14233399406 Danny Carrington

RT @leftfootfwd: Cuts to development education may increase public scepticism http://bit.ly/9lClU4
http://twitter.com/davidtaylor85/status/14230312345 David Taylor

RT @leftfootfwd: Cuts to development education may increase public scepticism: http://bit.ly/9lClU4
SadButMadLad

Its a pity they had to ring fence the international aid budget. The Christian parable of taking the beam out of your own eye before helping a friend with the mote in their eye comes to mind.
http://www.taxpayersalliance.com Matthew Sinclair

This is an absolutely incredible post. DFID is spending money building support for its own budget – you don’t see a problem with that?
Grassy Knollington

The spirit of Gramsci is alive and well in the Labour movement, clearly.
http://www.lcid.org.uk David Taylor

@Matthew Sinclair – not when DfID’s budget results in 3 million a people being lifted out of absolute poverty every year – that can’t happen without public support.
Mr. Sensible

SadButMadLad, if we cannot help those who are literally starving oversees we are in a bad way.

I don’t want my country looked on as being a selfish one; I want my country looked on as helping those in need.
SadButMadLad

@David Taylor
Is the DfID money funding all 3 million or (more likely) is it helping along with money from loads of other countries?

Also what is your definition of poverty. Poverty in the UK means not having something like a fridge or TV. In other countries, poverty might mean a lot less such as not having a basic roof over their heads. I suspect you are putting western definitions on other countries.
http://twitter.com/elaineong/status/14241566410 Elaine Ong

Cuts to development education may increase public scepticism … http://bit.ly/de1a6b
http://twitter.com/gregnstevelive/status/14241589457 Greg and Steve

Cuts to development education may increase public scepticism … http://bit.ly/c4oWPH
http://twitter.com/dlove03/status/14241563600 Derrick Love

Cuts to development education may increase public scepticism …: Yesterday the first cuts at DfID were announced … http://bit.ly/c4oWPH
SadButMadLad

@Sensible
We are in a bad way. Our debt is £2 TRILLION. The amount we pay just to service this debt is comparable with the whole defense budget.

Yes I am hoping our country is selfish. Being selfish means that we can make our country better more quickly and get back to being able to give charity to other countries who need it.
OJB

Let’s take a look at some of those harsh Tory cuts:

Those projects which have already been cancelled include a £146,000 grant to the Arcola Theatre Production Company in north London, a Brazilian-style dance group which uses percussion and martial arts.

Well if that doesn’t scream front-line essential service, I don’t know what does.
tomtiddler

@OJB you are so right. we will know the public sector is facing a massacre when the dole queues are filled with ‘five a day enforcers’, ‘smoking cessation officers’, ‘LGBT outreach somethings’, ‘local council climate change officers’
http://www.hooproll.com/cuts-to-development-education-may-increase-public-scepticism.html Cuts To Development Education May Increase Public Scepticism

[...] Via leftfootforward.org [...]
Owen Tudor

MadButBad – lifting people out of absolute poverty means raising their income to above $1 a day. It means helping people who are really, really, really poor. The argument between politicians over DFID spending money on development education here isn’t about whether those people should be helped – anyone with half a brain knows that’s in their interest and ours, and is a moral imperative. The question is whether that objective is helped by development education. Only the selfish and the ignorant think development isn’t vitally important. I think development education in the UK helps promote accountability about overseas aid, and reduces the number of the ignorant.
http://twitter.com/oxkev/status/14909757281 Oxford Kevin

Education on International Development cut just as the public is expected to vote on how aid budget is spent. http://bit.ly/a5X87k
Liam W

The Queens speech committed the UK to spending 0.7% on ODA by 2013 – and about time too. While not all UK Aid helps the poor, the fact that DfID spent sensibly on development education means that the UK public are well informed and engaged in these issues. That can only help transparency, accountability, and heighten the possibility that the aid will end up being spent wisely. Cutting development education funding at a time when ODA funding is, rightly, increasing, is a mistake – it will lead to a democractic and information deficit. It begs the question – is the new UK government afraid of public knowledge, public engagement and public action in support of global poverty eradication? A recent IPSOS MORI poll (see DEA.org.uk)shows that 9 out of 10 of the UK public support spending on development education. The new government should read the poll, and reverse these cuts.