Academic liberty is an Ivy League must-have

Higher education opened to foreign universities is welcome but academic freedom is key and India will have to rely on its very own institutions to emerge globally as a land of learning

Independent India's early emphasis on higher education underpinned by a 'scientific temper' has played a significant role in the emergence of our economy. Opening this sector up for foreign universities to set up local campuses, as the country is doing 75 years on, might seem odd from a nationalist lens, given the sector's intellectual influence, but has been talked up as a liberalization move of the kind made in other sectors. With easy repatriation of funds to go with autonomy over fees and admission criteria as bait, India aims to lure investment by academic institutions, reduce the dollar outflows of Indians studying abroad, and enhance domestic quality through exposure to global competition at home. All of this could happen. As for an increased external imprint on Indian minds, a web-linked world makes this a question of principle more than practical application. We should simply follow Mahatma Gandhi's advice: Let's keep our windows open to the world but not get blown off our feet by winds from anywhere.