Healthy Harold might win a reprieve

Education Minister Simon Birmingham has thrown school children favourite Healthy Harold a lifeline, saying the government will work with Life Education.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham has thrown school children favourite Healthy Harold a lifeline. (AAP)

Healthy Harold, a favourite with school children across the country, might have escaped the chop.

The puppet giraffe is the face of a program that teaches kids about the dangers of taking drugs and eating unhealthy food.

A federal funding agreement for Life Education Australia which runs the program ends on June 30 and wasn't renewed in the May budget.

"This is quite ... remarkable given the compelling need that exists across our community for strong, sustained and effective preventive health education," the organisation's chief executive David Ballhausen said in a statement.

Life Education said it would have run education programs for about 720,000 students by the end of June.

Labor accused the government of slashing the program without anyone noticing.

But a barrage of Twitter comments appears to have swayed the government into a rethink.

"We support #HealthyHarold & will work with Life Education Australia to ensure the funding & the program continues," Education Minister Simon Birmingham tweeted.