BEDROCK OF ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS UNDER SIEGE

HE greatest satisfaction for educators lies in freely expressing their views, especially within the classroom, where they can foster dialogue and encourage diverse perspectives. Higher education institutions have traditionally been regarded as bastions of intellectual freedom. However, the current socio-political climate prompts a pressing question: are university spaces truly free?

- JOHN J KENNEDY

Concerns are increasingly being raised about external influences that pose significant threats to academic freedom. A recent controversy involving an international university in India underscores this vulnerability, where a professor was compelled to resign after a research scholar included Noam Chomsky's quote about a political leader in the doctoral proposal.

Such episodes raise concerns about the ability of academic institutions to remain independent spaces for exploring ideas free from censorship. When universities yield to external pressures, the foundational principles of open inquiry are compromised, jeopardising the integrity of these institutions and the broader society that depends on them for intellectual and cultural progress.

On the 2022 Academic Freedom Index published by the V-Dem Institute, India scored 0.38 out of 1, reflecting a decline. Reports show increasing pressure on academics, including raids and forced resignations, like of a top academic from a top private university in 2021. This troubling trend contrasts sharply with India's history of fostering independent inquiry through its thinkers and philosophers.

Rabindranath Tagore envisioned university as a place where freedom of thought and creativity were paramount. Visva Bharati, the university he founded in Shantiniketan, was based on integrating the best of eastern and western educational traditions. For Tagore, the ideal university fostered a global outlook, encouraged interdisciplinary learning, and connected education with the natural environment and community.