Bedrock of academic institutions under siege

Universities should encourage challenging established ideas, but academic freedom in India is under pressure, pushing scholars to conform, contrary to the ideals of Tagore and Vivekananda
Bedrock of academic institutions under siege
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The 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?

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.

Similarly, Swami Vivekananda viewed a university not merely as a place for learning but as a space where individuals could discover their inner potential and contribute to society’s upliftment.

Historically, Indian thinkers have seen education not as a means to acquire knowledge but as a path to self-realisation and societal well-being. The ancient Indian concept of a university, exemplified by institutions like Takshashila and Nalanda, was rooted in the idea of education as comprehensive development.

This vision resonates with the Humboldtian model of a university, characterised by the unity of teaching and research, freedom of inquiry, and the formation of character and citizenship. Wilhelm von Humboldt envisioned university as a place where students and faculty engage in research to cultivate personal and intellectual growth.

Similarly, in his seminal work The Idea of a University, John Henry Newman emphasised the importance of broad, liberal education that would cultivate a well-rounded intellect capable of critical thinking.

Unfortunately, this idea is under attack globally. University spaces are increasingly becoming havens for uncriticality, imitation, standardisation and uniformity. In India, the growing involvement of the state has raised concerns about the erosion of academic freedom. Regulatory bodies have been criticised for imposing rigid guidelines restricting institutional autonomy.

In Hungary, for example, the Central European University was forced to relocate to Vienna in 2019 after the Hungarian government, led by PM Viktor Orban, passed legislation effectively banning the university from operating in Budapest. The move was widely condemned as an attack on academic freedom, seen as part of a broader strategy to stifle dissenting voices and consolidate control over educational institutions.

External influences profoundly impact the nature of research. When universities are pressured to align their curriculum with political agendas, the diversity and richness of scholarship are compromised. For example, in China, universities increasingly follow the Chinese Communist Party’s ideological directives, leading to the suppression of research on sensitive topics like human rights abuses. This environment of self-censorship narrows the scope of academic inquiry and damages the credibility of Chinese scholarship.

Similarly, in Turkey, the aftermath of the 2016 coup attempt resulted in a widespread crackdown on academia. Thousands of academics were dismissed, and several universities, particularly those perceived as linked to the Gülen movement, were shut down. This has created an atmosphere of fear and conformity within Turkish universities. In such restrictive environments, can genuine research and academic inquiry truly flourish?

The stifling of academic freedom has serious implications for the quality of research. Academic inquiry thrives when scholars can freely explore new ideas, challenge established paradigms, and engage in open debate. However, when this freedom is compromised by ideological, political or economic pressures, knowledge production becomes constrained, leading to researchers avoiding certain topics out of fear of losing funding or facing backlash.

The state of university freedom today is crucial, as it directly impacts the future of knowledge and societal progress. Increasing external pressures from governments, political parties and vested interests pose a threat to academic freedom. It is essential to halt these interferences; otherwise, Aldous Huxley’s ominous warning that higher education does not necessarily lead to higher virtue will continue to ring true.

(Views are personal)

(johnjken@gmail.com)

John J Kennedy | Professor and Dean, Christ (Deemed) University, Bengaluru

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