Mums also said they would sell their car to give their children the best education possible, according to a new survey by Mumsnet and charity PEAS (Promoting Equality in African Schools).
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The survey marks the launch of PEAS Back To School Appeal, which aims to tackle the severe lack of high quality, affordable secondary school education in Uganda, where only one in four secondary school aged children are currently at school.
The appeal will see all donations made to PEAS between 14 September and 13 December doubled by the UK Government, enabling PEAS to provide over 16,000 children in Uganda with a life-changing education over the next three years.
With the cost of education in Uganda prohibitively high, many parents are forced to choose just one of their children to send to secondary school; a choice that 68 per cent of Mumsnet members said would be harder than any other decision in their life, with 51 per cent agreeing that it would be harder even than deciding to get a divorce.
If faced with just one school place for their whole family, over half (54 per cent) of UK mums surveyed said they would invest the education in their most academically gifted child. In a distant second place (chosen by just 16 per cent of mums) was the child who enjoyed school the most, and third (15 per cent) came the eldest child. One in ten mums said they would not send any of their children to school in order to be fair.
Mumsnet Co-Founder, Carrie Longton, said: "The idea of having to choose just one of your children to send to school while overlooking siblings is an unthinkable scenario for parents in the UK, but it is the harsh reality which many mothers and fathers in Sub-Saharan Africa will continue to face unless secondary schools are made accessible, affordable and sustainable.
"We're proud to support PEAS and inspired by the charity's commitment to delivering not just an affordable and financially sustainable education model in Uganda, but also one which demands quality teaching and promising futures for its students, just as we want for our own children," she said.
John Rendel, Founder and Chief Executive of PEAS, added: "We are delighted to receive such whole-hearted support from Mumsnet for our Back to School Appeal.
"Education is the best investment that can be made in an individual’s and a country’s future and the only barrier we have to significantly and sustainable expanding access to secondary school education in Africa is money. The match funding provided by the UK Government between September and December this year is a unique opportunity for the public to double the impact they can have on the lives of these children in Uganda.”
While very few UK mums (less than two per cent) said they would base their choice on gender, the picture is quite different in Africa where girls are significantly underrepresented in secondary schools and female enrolment is as low as seven per cent in some countries. PEAS’ Back To School Appeal aims to tackle this and at least half of the 16,000 children it helps educate will be girls.
To donate visit peas.org.uk or text 'PEAS01 £5' to 70070. Watch PEAS appeal video here: http://www.mumsnet.com/campaigns/links-to-other-organisations