Why Academic Freedom Matters
Albert P'Rayan | 26 May 2025 | The Hindu
Although academic freedom has been defined in many ways, the most comprehensive definition, in my view, appears in the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel. It states: “Academic freedom is the right, without constriction by prescribed doctrine, to freedom of teaching and discussion, freedom in carrying out research and disseminating and publishing the results thereof, freedom to express freely their opinion about the institution or system in which they work, freedom from institutional censorship, and freedom to participate in professional or representative academic bodies.” To this definition, one might add that academics also have the right to act as public intellectuals critically examining matters of public interest and actively engaging with the broader public….