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Transformative education: policy brief - UNESCO
The Principles of Transformative Education, aligned with UNESCO’s framework, while ensuring originality and clarity: Transformative Education: A Framework for Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development
By MUKADAM AJETUNMOBI
3/23/20253 min read
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Transformative education: policy brief - UNESCO
Transformative Education: A Framework for Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development
Education is a powerful force for shaping a just, inclusive, and sustainable world. Transformative Education redefines learning as a lifelong process that equips individuals with the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes necessary to address complex global challenges. It moves beyond traditional models by fostering critical thinking, ethical responsibility, cultural awareness, and sustainability, empowering individuals to create positive change in their communities and beyond.
This framework presents 12 core principles that define Transformative Education, ensuring that education systems worldwide promote human rights, equity, sustainability, peace, and global citizenship. These principles serve as a living document, continuously evolving to reflect new insights and emerging priorities for education in the 21st century.
Core Principles of Transformative Education
1. Education as a Universal Human Right
Transformative Education is rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ensuring that all individuals—regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic background, or location—have equal access to quality education. It promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all and supports inclusive policies that empower marginalized and underrepresented groups, especially women, girls, and indigenous communities.
2. Advancing Sustainability for a Thriving Future
Education must cultivate a deep understanding of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Learners should be equipped to critically engage with issues such as climate change, resource conservation, and responsible consumption, fostering a generation that acts in harmony with nature and prioritizes solutions for a sustainable future.
3. Ethical and Value-Based Learning
True education goes beyond knowledge acquisition—it must instill universal values of empathy, integrity, respect, and responsibility. Transformative Education emphasizes the ethical dimensions of science, technology, and policy-making, ensuring that innovation and progress serve the well-being of people and the planet.
4. Embracing Diversity and Cultural Awareness
Education must foster mutual respect, cultural understanding, and inclusivity. Transformative Education encourages intercultural dialogue, celebrates linguistic and cultural diversity, and promotes pluralism as a strength. Learners must be prepared to engage with multiple perspectives and navigate diverse social and cultural landscapes.
5. Promoting Equity and Social Justice
Transformative Education challenges systemic inequalities and social injustices, empowering learners to advocate for fair access to opportunities, gender equality, and economic inclusion. It fosters active citizenship, equipping individuals with the tools to contribute to just and equitable societies that leave no one behind.
Pedagogical Foundations of Transformative Education
6. Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution
Education must equip learners with nonviolent communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills. Transformative Education promotes a culture of peace, ensuring that learners can engage in dialogue, mediation, and cooperation to resolve conflicts constructively and contribute to social cohesion.
7. Holistic Development: Mind, Body, and Well-being
A well-rounded education nurtures intellectual, emotional, physical, and social well-being. It recognizes the importance of mental health, creativity, and emotional intelligence, providing learning environments that support the overall well-being of individuals and communities.
8. Local Knowledge and Community-Based Learning
Transformative Education values indigenous knowledge, traditional wisdom, and community-driven learning approaches. It recognizes the importance of place-based education, ensuring that learning remains relevant to local needs while connecting to broader global challenges.
9. Experiential and Active Learning
Learning must extend beyond textbooks and standardized testing. Transformative Education prioritizes interactive, experiential, and problem-solving approaches such as project-based learning, simulations, and participatory decision-making. These methods cultivate critical thinking, creativity, and real-world application of knowledge.
10. Science, Technology, and Critical Thinking
Education must integrate scientific literacy, digital skills, and ethical technology use, ensuring that learners are prepared for rapid technological advancements. Critical thinking must be cultivated to distinguish misinformation, evaluate evidence, and make informed decisions in an increasingly complex world.
11. Responsible Use of Technology and Media
While technology offers immense opportunities, it must be used ethically and inclusively. Transformative Education promotes digital literacy, online safety, and ethical media engagement, ensuring that learners use technology for connection, collaboration, and positive social impact rather than division and misinformation.
12. Fostering Curiosity, Imagination, and Lifelong Learning
Education must inspire a sense of wonder, curiosity, and continuous learning. Transformative Education values creativity, innovation, and interdisciplinary thinking, ensuring that individuals remain adaptable and open to new knowledge throughout their lives.
A Call to Action: Education for a Better Future
The world is changing at an unprecedented pace, and education must evolve accordingly. Transformative Education is not just a vision—it is an urgent necessity for building a more sustainable, just, and peaceful world.
✅ Redefine learning beyond standardized models, focusing on holistic, ethical, and inclusive education.
✅ Empower individuals to take action, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to address global challenges.
✅ Foster a culture of lifelong learning, ensuring that education remains dynamic, relevant, and adaptable.
✅ Bridge the gap between policy and practice, making Transformative Education an integral part of national and global strategies.
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True success goes beyond mere financial achievements; it encompasses the depth of positive impact one creates in the lives of others, the essence of true success lies in the transformation and elevation of minds and souls. It's about inspiring change, fostering growth, and empowering individuals to reach their fullest potential. As highlighted by Mukadam O. Ajetunmobi "True success is measured not only by the value of financial transactions, but also by the number of minds and lives profoundly transformed and transcended.