“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”
This quote by Nelson Mandela is one of the most famous sayings on the value of education. But why did this quote become so famous and what makes it so poignant?
Summary: Nelson Mandela
- Education as a lifelong pursuit: From mission schools in the Eastern Cape to law studies completed by correspondence and continued learning even during imprisonment, Mandela saw education as both a personal duty and a way to change the world.
- Learning as liberation: In Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela reflected that the greatest barrier for his people was not ability but opportunity, believing that education could dismantle oppression and enable social progress.
- “The University of Robben Island”: During his 18 years in prison on Robben Island, he turned incarceration into a space for shared learning, encouraging inmates to study and debate.
- A legacy of education: As president and later through his foundations, Mandela promoted equal access to education, believing that it is “the great engine of personal development” and social change.
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly declared 18th July as Nelson Mandela International Day in 2009 to recognise his contributions to peace and freedom. Mandela’s birthday is celebrated as ‘Mandela Day’ to honour his legacy and encourage community service.
Mandela was born Rolihlahla Mandela on 18 July 1918 in the village of Mvezo, South Africa. Rolihlahla means ‘troublemaker’ in Xhosa but today, Nelson Mandela is regarded as a global icon of moral leadership, peace, democracy and social justice.
In this article, we reflect on how Mandela’s approach to education can inspire us when creating the conditions for our learners to succeed.
In a life of extremes, education was a constant
Before his death in 2013 at the age of 95, the former President of South Africa, led an extraordinary life. From 25 years of imprisonment, to becoming the first democratically elected President of his nation and jointly winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rolihlahla Mandela was born in the Eastern Cape Province, where his father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa Mandela, served as a local chief and counselor to the monarch. After Rolihlahla’s father died when he was 12, Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo raised him and played a significant role in shaping his upbringing.
He attended primary school in Qunu, where his teacher gave him the name Nelson. He completed his Junior Certificate at Clarkebury Boarding Institute and then attended Healdtown, a Wesleyan secondary school. Alongside his cousin Justice, Mandela participated in traditional cultural rites of passage.
Mandela began his studies for a Bachelor of Arts degree at the South African Native College, later known as the University College of Fort Hare, a key institution in the Eastern Cape Province. However, Mandela resigned from the Student Representative Council and was expelled for joining a student protest.
In 1941, Mandela moved to Johannesburg, where he worked various jobs while completing his bachelor’s degree via correspondence courses. Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944 and helped to form the ANC Youth League, marking the beginning of his early activism and leadership in the anti-apartheid movement against the South African government.
Walter Sisulu, a key figure in Mandela’s early career, helped him secure his first legal job and his close friend Oliver Tambo became his law partner. Mandela co-founded the law firm Mandela and Tambo in 1952, providing legal assistance to black South Africans.
Education in Long Walk to Freedom
In his 1994 autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom Mandela describes how education intertwined the different events in his life.
He discusses the Western-style English-language education he received at mission schools as a boy, and how the feelings of inadequacy it fostered among his people resulted in anger and even social uprising: “it was not lack of ability that limited my people, but lack of opportunity… We were taught that the …best men were Englishmen.”
Throughout his long life and even his imprisonment, Mandela made a point to keep educating himself – seeing learning as an escape from his confines. Even just days before the trial at which he could have been served a death sentence, he was writing papers for his law degree.
He even inspired his fellow prisoners to do the same: “At night, our cell block seemed more like a study hall than a prison… Robben Island was known as ‘the University’ […] because of what we
Limitations of formal education
Mandela did, nevertheless, appreciate the limitations of formal education. Despite earning both a Bachelor of Arts and later a law degree, he realised that they were neither a passport to career success nor wisdom. He remains humble about his achievements, saying that despite others’ lack of formal education, they could be “my superior in virtually every sphere of knowledge”.
His humility also influenced his thinking on politics and the democratic rights of his fellow citizens: “To a narrow-thinking person, it is hard to explain that to be ‘educated’ does not mean being literate and having a BA, and that an illiterate man can be a far more ‘educated’ voter than someone with an advanced degree”.
Robben Island and Pollsmoor Prison: Education behind bars
Nelson Mandela’s years of incarceration on Robben Island and later at Pollsmoor Prison demonstrated his unwavering belief in the importance of education:
- During his 18 years on Robben Island, he enrolled in a correspondence programme with the University of London, working diligently toward his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree.
- This dedication to learning not only helped Mandela endure the isolation and adversity of imprisonment, but helped to equip him with the skills and insight needed to one day lead South Africa into a new era as its first democratically elected president.
- Education behind bars extended far beyond formal studies. Mandela and his fellow ANC leaders established what became known as the “University of Robben Island.”
- In this informal setting, prisoners shared their expertise in subjects ranging from politics and history to literature and culture.
- These classes created a spirit of solidarity and intellectual curiosity, strengthening their resolve to build a democratic and free society.
- Mandela’s role in this initiative reflected his conviction that education is not just a personal asset, but a collective force for social change – a principle that would later shape his policies as South African president.
- The transition to Pollsmoor Prison brought improved conditions, but Mandela’s commitment to education remained.
- He continued his legal studies, engaged in wide-ranging discussions with other ANC leaders and used every opportunity to prepare for the challenges that lay ahead.
- His time at Victor Verster Prison, the final stage before his release, further demonstrated his resilience and readiness to lead a nation in transition.
Mandela’s experiences in these prisons strongly influenced his vision for post-apartheid South Africa. He emerged with a renewed commitment to reconciliation, equality and the right to education for all.
Nelson Mandela: Education as a state of mind and being
Mandela understood the importance of keeping fit to maintain positive mental health and took up long-distance running while a schoolboy. He said that exercise gave him ‘peace of mind’: “I have found that I worked better and thought more clearly when I was in good physical condition, and so training became one of the inflexible disciplines of my life”.
Even during periods of his life when he was in hiding, he would make a habit of changing into his running clothes and jogging on the spot for over an hour.
Running also taught him the value of hard work and discipline in achieving one’s goals, saying that in cross-country running, training counted more than innate ability and that he could compensate for a lack of natural aptitude with diligence and discipline: “I applied this in everything I did. Even as a student, I saw many young men who had great natural ability, but who did not have the self-discipline and patience to build on their endowment”.
During his years of imprisonment, he was allowed little contact with his children yet, in letters to them, he “regularly urged them to exercise … to take their mind off whatever might be bothering them”.
Legacy of hope
Mandela’s legacy lives on in myriad ways – through the policies he implemented, the foundations and charities he created and – for many – through the words he spoke and wrote.
His release from prison in 1990, after 27 years, came amid growing domestic and international pressure to end apartheid. This pivotal moment marked the beginning of the end of apartheid and led to Mandela’s election as ANC president in 1991.
Mandela and F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their efforts to dismantle apartheid. In 1994, Mandela became South Africa’s first Black president, marking the transition to democracy.
Mandela worked tirelessly to address the educational disparities that had long divided the nation, believing that a free society could only be built on the foundation of equal opportunity.
He emphasised reconciliation between South Africa’s racial groups, creating the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses and promote national unity.
His administration introduced land reform, combated poverty, expanded healthcare and launched the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) to address disparities between white and black communities.
The RDP was later replaced by the Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) policy, focusing on economic growth. Mandela’s government oversaw the construction of 750,000 houses, increased welfare spending and introduced free healthcare for children under six and pregnant women.
In 1996, Mandela signed into law a new constitution, establishing majority rule and guaranteeing rights for minorities.
His efforts in promoting reconciliation and equality have made him a symbol of hope for oppressed people globally. The legacy of Mandela’s educational journey continues to inspire people around the world.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela Foundation and ongoing societal impact
After his presidency, Mandela focused on philanthropy through the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, particularly in HIV/AIDS awareness and education.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation, which he established in 1999, carries forward his mission by supporting initiatives that promote social justice, peace and access to education.
His legacy also includes the ‘Nelson Mandela Rules’, UN guidelines for the treatment of prisoners, named in his honour.
Each year, Nelson Mandela International Day on July 18 encourages individuals to devote 67 minutes to community service. It honours Mandela’s 67 years of public service and his enduring impact as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and champion of human rights.
Through these ongoing efforts, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’s vision of a democratic and free society, rooted in the power of education, remains alive in South Africa and beyond.
Mandela is regarded as a global icon of moral leadership, peace, democracy and social justice – influencing world leaders and civil rights activists alike.
We can all be inspired by his vision, his values and how he used his education and his attitude to do good in the world:
“Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine; that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another”.
Further reading – more Nelson Mandela quotes on education:
Work cited:
Mandela, N.R. (1994). Long Walk to Freedom. London: Abacus.
