Abstract
This paper examines the idea of adopting Nelson Mandela’s educational transformation
initiatives as a blue print for educational transformation in Nigeria. The work considers
these initiatives in three key areas, namely, his human centered education, the critical
inclusive basic education strategy which he recommended for his ANC (Transvaal)
Congress in 1953 and institutionalized in South Africa, and his large-scale educational
transformation initiatives using the Teachers Rationalization Initiative (TRI) respectively.
The work argues that of the many challenges facing educational development in Nigeria,
the human factor, especially the continuous politicization of education where tribal and
political affiliations influence activities within the educational system has created a major
setback in providing quality education in Nigeria. Apart from frustrating the principle of
quality control and quality assurance which are fundamental to the educative process,
politicization of education has induced educational imbalance that has undermined policy
implementation and ushered in academic fraud, corruption and indiscipline. The
conclusion is that adopting Nelson Mandela’s educational transformation initiatives could
set a new agenda for educational transformation in Nigeria.