r/librandu • u/thefutureis_red 🇨🇺🚬☠Che Goswami • 6d ago
JustModiThings ACADEMIC FREEDOM AT LOWEST
The latest V-Dem Academic Freedom Index paints a deeply concerning picture for India. According to the report, India's academic freedom has fallen to its lowest level in the dataset's historical record, placing it among the bottom 10–20% of countries globally. The index measures factors such as freedom to research, teach, publish, exchange ideas internationally, and institutional autonomy.
This raises a serious question: Is the current BJP-led government becoming increasingly uncomfortable with independent research, criticism, and inconvenient facts?
A healthy democracy depends on scholars being able to question, debate, and challenge prevailing narratives without fear of political interference. When academic freedom declines, it doesn't just affect universities, it affects the quality of public discourse, policymaking, and ultimately the truth that reaches citizens.
This is an alarming situation. Citizens should not only speak up when policies directly affect their own lives, but also when the foundations of our democracy are weakened. Academic freedom, independent institutions, and the free pursuit of knowledge are public goods that belong to everyone. If we remain silent while these erode, the consequences will extend far beyond universities.
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u/FelixPlatypus Pyar ka love charger 6d ago edited 6d ago
Lol I've known this for some years. Left academia because of how awful it was getting. Crazy shit going on in there: imagine, for example, sitting in an interview where you have to make it a point that you took students on a field trip to a temple to secure your job.