The Global Attack on Academic Freedom
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Current events of national and international importance, Social Development, Education.
Mains:
GS Paper 1 (Indian Society): Effects of globalization on Indian society.
GS Paper 2 (Governance & Social Justice): Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation; Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education, Human Resources.
GS Paper 4 (Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude): Foundational values for Civil Service.
Key Highlights from the News
Governments around the world, especially right-wing governments, are transforming higher education institutions into centers of political control to implement their ideological agendas.
This is being done by weaponized budgets. A prime example is the reduction in federal funding to universities like Harvard in the US.
Methods used include suppressing dissenting voices, interfering with curricula (e.g., the definition of antisemitism), changing Vice-Chancellors, and forcing university presidents to resign through political pressure.
In India, public universities are being branded as 'anti-national' centers, budgets are being cut, and police action is occurring on campuses. The UGC's imposition of mandatory courses in 'Indian knowledge systems' is criticized as an attempt to advance a Hindu nationalist narrative.
The neoliberal makeover of higher education is another major threat. While emphasis is placed on rankings, patents, and student employability, subjects that foster critical thinking, such as sociology and history, become irrelevant.
According to the Academic Freedom Index, academic freedom significantly decreased in 34 countries between 2014 and 2024. India's rank and score have plummeted, and India is now on the list of worst-performing countries.
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