Nandini Sundar and Gowhar Fazili: Undermining Academic Freedom

By Dilip -
Academic freedom is about the right to study, teach and research a diversity of viewpoints. Yet, this right that is so crucial for the pursuit of knowledge has seen widespread attacks in colleges and universities across India. The New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 claims it is based on principles that include creativity and critical thinking, constitutional values, a respect for diversity and the local context, a positive working environment for students and faculty, and substantial investment in a strong vibrant public education system. It also promises “merit-based appointment of leadership” in higher education institutions, and “freedom from political or external interference.”

This article shows that the biggest problem for the NEP is the gap between promise and practice. It was written in June 2020 as a status report in response to a call for submissions on academic freedom by the UN Special Rapporteur on the protection and promotion of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. We would like this to serve as the base for a more comprehensive collaboratively developed status report, which will cover the different states of India, various disciplines and types of institutions.

I. Introduction: There have been several structural concerns with academic freedom in the previous decades since Independence, especially during the Emergency (1975-77). However, the period since 2014, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has seen an unprecedented assault on academic freedom as well as on academics. This is accurately reflected in the sharp downward decline in India’s position in an Academic Freedom Index developed by the V-Dem Institute of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden....
https://www.theindiaforum.in/article/academic-freedom-india

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