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Protecting these type of academic freedom and its role in knowledge production and advancement requires a multi-faceted approach, as so legal and institutional safeguards, public organizations of research, develop a academic culture with ethic and morals grounds, and international suport or collaboration, including accountability over responsabilities in the field. In Brazil, universities are autonomous entities in didactic, scientific, administrative, and financial matters, affirming academic freedom as a legal right in our Constitution, article 207. Also, our funding organizations, like CAPES and CNPq support innovative research and knowledge dissemination while emphasizing the autonomy of researchers.

Hope its contributes for reflection on the matter

Academic freedom is crucial for the production of knowledge and the advancement of societies, as it ensures that scholars can explore, question, and challenge existing ideas without fear of repression or censorship. To protect academic freedom, universities and research institutions must create an environment where intellectual inquiry is encouraged and shielded from external pressures, such as political, ideological, or financial interference. This protection is fundamental not only for fostering critical thinking and innovation but also for sustaining the integrity of the knowledge produced.

Academic freedom faces significant challenges, such as government censorship, financial constraints, or social pressures that influence research topics, findings, and the dissemination of knowledge. To address these issues, legal frameworks that safeguard academic freedom must be established, ensuring that academic institutions operate independently from external influences, researchers should be empowered with the autonomy to pursue diverse, often controversial, lines of inquiry, which may challenge prevailing societal norms.

In ensuring that academic freedom thrives, the commitment of both the academic community and broader society is essential. Academic institutions must offer protections for their faculty and students against unjust censorship or punishment while promoting an atmosphere of mutual respect, debate, and dialogue. Additionally, international organizations can play a role in holding governments accountable when academic freedom is under threat. By addressing these challenges, academic freedom can continue to serve as the cornerstone of knowledge creation, enabling societies to progress through informed decision-making and innovation.

Academic freedom is necessary to contribute in one's own field. But for this one should not be afraid of anything repressing or punishable for his/her creation. Govt. Institutions must provide such environment and facilities for the scholars and academicians, there should not be any pressure of work.

Tenured appointments that can curtail individuals who stifle academic freedoms.

Allowing students to be objective and ask limitless questions in class to avoid making them the oppressed pedagogy

The Advanced of Traditional academic learning to the New ICT values in order to allow the students to be objective and advanced to more learning and bridging the gap between the one on one learning and limiting the amount of time between the teacher/lecturer and the students

At which university is free research still possible? If you need funding for your research, you are forced to ask politicians these days. Funding is only available if their ideology is confirmed, and if the research results do not support this, it is better to keep quiet about them and fantasize about something. You can only really speak freely when you are retired, although here (I am talking about Germany) things are moving in the direction that you can sometimes end up in court for your scientific opinion.

Academic freedom underpins intellectual inquiry and societal progress. It guarantees scholars, researchers, and educators the freedom to discover, criticise, and share knowledge without undue influence or control. Such freedom is essential to the generation of new knowledge and innovation and to solving complex societal, economic, and political problems. However, academic freedom is threatened by various issues that pose serious risks to its integrity and value for society's progress. We examine those issues and then set out ways to deal with them.

Major Challenges to Academic Freedom

Listed below are the major challenges to academic freedom.

1. Political Interference: Academic institutions, curriculum design, and research priorities are often subject to political agendas. Governments may bury dissenting views, starve controversial research of funding, or, if the reigning regime is sufficiently authoritarian, impose censorship to steer academic output toward their ideological goals. Such interference subverts the objectivity and independence that lie at the heart of scholarly inquiry.

2. The Commercialization of Education and Research: Over the years, we have seen unprecedented privatisation and commercialisation of education, with academic institutions turning into profit-generating enterprises. Corporate money often comes with strings attached that favour commercially viable research over more basic or formative work. If this trend continues, it has the potential to turn academia into a business while undermining academic integrity and intellectual curiosity.

3. Curtailment of Free Speech and Dissent: In certain societies, authoritarian governments or social mores suppress free expression, making it difficult for academics to articulate controversial or unconventional ideas. Repression can also stifle critical thinking, creating a culture in which scholars censor themselves.

4. Discrimination Based on Gender and Social Hierarchy: Structural inequalities, such as gender bias and discrimination based on ethnicity, religion or socioeconomic background, can marginalise certain groups within academia. This reduces the exposure to various points of view and quashes the inclusive atmosphere that is a prerequisite for academic freedom.

5. Concerns about Data Privacy and Digital Surveillance: The trend toward using digital tools for academic work has come with risks of surveillance, data privacy, and cybersecurity. Such restrictions threaten academic freedom, as governments and corporate entities could monitor online communications and restrict access to sensitive or controversial subjects.

6. Funding Constraints: Limited or conditional funding can require academic institutions to reallocate priorities in structured fields or topics based on the whims of governments or corporations. This rise in conformity limits the ability to conduct controversial or exploratory research and thus restricts intellectual diversity.

7. Cancel Culture and Political Polarisation: As political polarisation and cancel culture have crept into academia, it has become increasingly difficult for people to express views that deviate from the established orthodoxy. This cultural climate can stifle open conversation and critical discourse.

Addressing the Challenges

Provided below are my prescriptions.

1. Taking Precautions against Political Interference

Many steps can be taken to safeguard academic freedom from political interference.

• Creating Institutional Independence: Academic institutions should be endowed with governance mechanisms that assure separation from political authorities. Governing councils made up of diverse stakeholders can serve as buffers against undue influence.

• Legal Protections: Scholars and institutions must be protected by explicit laws guaranteeing academic freedom from both political persecution and censorship.

• Advocacy and Global Networking: International academic bodies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) can be instrumental in addressing these issues by advocating for academic freedom, pressuring governments, and offering support to persecuted scholars.

2. The Market Economy: Balancing Commercial Interests with Academic Integrity

Commercial partnerships can provide much-needed funding, but safeguards to avoid conflicts of interest are critical.

• Transparent Funding: Agreements to ensure giving is not tied to research outcomes or priorities.

• Public-private partnerships: Partnerships must be designed using a public-good model that emphasises societal benefits rather than commercial benefits.

• Endowment Funds: Robust endowment funds can decrease reliance on conditional external funding, thereby facilitating independent research.

3. Advocating Freedom of Speech and Shielding Dissent

Dispense with the platitudes to create an environment where diverse ideas can flourish.

• Establishing Safe Spaces: Universities need platforms for open dialogue where scholars and students can express dissenting opinions without fear of persecution.

• Legal Protections: Governments must enshrine free speech rights and guarantee that academics will not be punished for their views.

• Educational Initiatives: Curricula that emphasise and use the values of free speech and intellectual diversity can also help support the value of exposing students to controversial ideas.

4. Gender and Social Discrimination

Discrimination in different forms in academia must be eradicated for equitable access to academic freedom.

• Equity Policies: Institutions should have policies to rectify structural inequalities—like affirmative action and gender-sensitive recruitment policies.

• Mentoring: Mentoring underrepresented groups may enable marginalised people to aspire to academia.

• Accountability Mechanisms: Grievance redressal systems can be created to respond to instances of discrimination and harassment.

5. Mitigating Digital Surveillance and Privacy Risks

To protect academic freedom in the digital age, strong data protection is key.

• Solid Cybersecurity Practices: As educational institutions move toward digital modes of communication and data transmission, finding secure digital solutions for sensitive communication, such as emails, papers and grade transcripts, should be a priority.

• Demand for Privacy-Derogatory Government Reforms: Academic communities should demand legislation in action (e.g. bans on surveillance) and not just at the level of idealism (omnipresent reform for privacy rights).

• Use of Secure Platforms: Scholars should be urged to employ encrypted communication solutions and anonymised research practices as appropriate.

6. Ensuring Sustainable Funding

Here are some strategies that organisations can use to lessen the impact of funding constraints on academic freedom.

• Widen Funding Sources: Universities should broaden their funding sources and actively pursue government grants, philanthropic donations, and contributions from alums.

• Funding For Exploratory Research: Governments and funding agencies should fund exploratory and interdisciplinary research with intellectual diversity.

• Public Engagement and Crowdfunding: Supporting independent studies through public engagement or crowdfunding by community members' interest in specific research projects.

7. Addressing Polarisation and Cancel Culture

Academia must advocate open-mindedness and resilience to combat the ill effects of political polarisation and cancel culture.

• Promotion of Critical Thinking: Institutions must focus on critical thinking and nurture students and academicians who can constructively engage with multiple perspectives.

• Creating Codes of Conduct: Establishing codes of conduct that promote respectful exchanges can help mitigate the harmful effects of cancel culture while encouraging constructive discussions.

• Generating a Culture of Forgiveness: Building on the idea that concepts of forgiveness and growth should be practised will mitigate the threat cancel culture poses to academic debate between communities.

Ensuring the Role of Academic Freedom in Producing Knowledge

Academic freedom is paramount for knowledge generation.

1. Advancing Interdisciplinary Research: Scholars should be free to take interdisciplinary paths that lead to new and inventive places for society as a whole, and such paths are often the best maps for addressing the really hard problems facing society. Research initiatives — especially those at the level of interdisciplinary activity and supported by educational institutions — are also well positioned to break down silos of knowledge production and promote transdisciplinary knowledge production.

2. Cultivating Global Networks: Ties across borders foster the sharing of ideas and best practices, and academic freedom engenders this exchange. International partnerships and collaborative educational exchange programs can enhance research and education and address issues that transcend borders.

3. Student Empowerment Through Critical Thinking: Academic freedom creates an atmosphere where students learn to question, explore ideas, and find new solutions. By introducing students to new ideas and teaching them to think critically about the world around them, educators can help students contribute meaningfully to society.

4. Accelerating Society with Intelligence: Academic freedom enables scholars to interrogate and confront urgent social challenges, such as climate change and public health. Academia needs to engage objectively with these challenges, provide evidence-based solutions, and serve as a definite policy guide.

5. Protecting Cultural and Intellectual Heritage: Universities and research institutions are integral to recording and preserving cultural and intellectual heritage. Maintaining academic freedom requires measures to ensure that these efforts are free from bias and properly comprehensive, serving generations to come.

The Way Forward

Stakeholders should work together to respond to challenges, creating a diverse knowledge production process and sustaining the role of academic freedom in advancing societies.

1. Government accountability: Governments should commit to legislative, financial, and respectful support of academic freedom and institutional autonomy.

2. Institutional Leadership: Universities should uphold academic freedom and create climates that support and engage scholars and students.

3. Global Solidarity: International academic associations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and advocacy organisations must stand in solidarity with at-risk scholars and institutions and advance academic freedom as a universal right.

4. Awareness Among Society: Society needs to acknowledge the need for Academic Freedom. It helps progress with innovations and advancements in every field, and leaders should be responsible for protecting it.

Conclusion

Academic freedom stands as one of our strongest tools for opening space for innovation, equity, and moving society forward. By tackling its obstacles and implementing measures to safeguard it, we can continue to make academia a fountain of knowledge, creativity and progress. In such globally alarming times of change and challenge, protecting academic freedom is not merely an intellectual necessity; it is also a moral and a societal one. This is a fundamental principle that will govern the future of knowledge and, consequently, the evolution of humanity itself.

Protecting academic freedom requires a collective commitment from governments, institutions, and society to uphold free inquiry and expression. This can be achieved by fostering policies that safeguard researchers and educators from censorship, political pressures, or economic constraints. Ensuring equitable access to resources and encouraging diverse perspectives strengthens its role in producing knowledge. Transparency, accountability, and advocacy are key to addressing challenges while preserving the autonomy that drives societal advancement.

Eustache Placide A government commitment to academic freedom is at odds with the censorship carried out by this very group.

Freedom is not given, it is taken. However, in my country I have observed that cowardice prevails.

It must be safeguarded from internal and external challenges. A multi-pronged approach that emphasizes legal protections, open discourse, diversity, ethical research, and international cooperation will help protect academic freedom while ensuring its positive effect on society. By addressing the challenges it faces, academic freedom can continue to thrive as a critical pillar of intellectual progress and social improvement.

Academic freedom and democracy under siege: how a Nobel peace prize could help defend them

Universities and research are the target of unprecedented attacks in the US, threatening academic freedom. Scientists have created the “Stand up for Science” movement...

"The Nobel Prize Committees for Science and Peace share the responsibility of using their prestigious platforms to uphold fundamental scientific and democratic values. They are uniquely positioned to champion humanist science, reinforcing its importance for scholars, students, and civil societies worldwide. Since the 1950s, around 90% of Nobel Prize laureates in scientific fields have either been US citizens or have studied and worked at Ivy League research institutions.

While some US scientists are contesting actions of the Trump administration in court, academics worldwide should stand in solidarity with their American colleagues in resisting the erosion of science. To strengthen their efforts, they require the support of the Nobel Prize Committees."

https://theconversation.com/academic-freedom-and-democracy-under-siege-how-a-nobel-peace-prize-could-help-defend-them-251494?

Ljubomir Jacić

Are you sure? The Nobel Prize committees seem to be part of the problem, considering who has received a prize

Gilbert Brands , please do read the whole article before such conclusion.

Ljubomir Jacić

Oh, I have that

There is loud lamentation that Trump has now removed certain political ideologies such as climate and WHO from the funding list, and in return the "freedom of science" in the EU is being praised. But in the EU you have never been allowed to express your criticism of the topics mentioned (or of political-ideological guidelines in general) if you wanted to keep your job. From my point of view, I can only say that the whining about the loss of privileges is more than hypocritical.

And then there is the Nobel Peace Prize. Traditionally only the most disgusting warmongers receive it. Which would mean that the demand would fit in with the whining again.

Gilbert Brands : " ...But in the EU you have never been allowed to express your criticism of the topics mentioned (or of political-ideological guidelines in general) if you wanted to keep your job..."

This is nonsence! This is not true at all!

Furthermore, your words: "And then there is the Nobel Peace Prize. Traditionally only the most disgusting warmongers receive it. Which would mean that the demand would fit in with the whining again."

An inappropriate and rude comment from someone who pretends to be a scholar. Your behavior and underestimating most Nobel laureates says more about you...

You do not deserve a word more!

Some examples that support previous discussion are coming.

The #StandUpForScience movement has resonated with scientists in France. A column that calls on researchers to join events across the country today was signed by leading researchers including two Nobel laureates: economist Esther Duflo and virologist Françoise Barré-Sinoussi...

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/science/article/2025/03/04/let-s-defend-science-against-anti-knowledge-efforts_6738768_10.html

Meanwhile, physicists in Serbia joined a one-day strike in solidarity with student protests against what they say is government corruption and lack of accountability...

"Physicists in Serbia have begun strike action today in response to what they say is government corruption and social injustice. The one-day strike, called by the country’s official union for researchers, is expected to result in thousands of scientists joining students who have already been demonstrating for months over conditions in the country.

The student protests, which began in November, were triggered by a railway station canopy collapse that killed 15 people. Since then, it has grown into an ongoing mass protest seen by many as indirectly seeking to change the government, currently led by president Aleksandar Vučić..."

https://physicsworld.com/a/physicists-in-serbia-begin-strike-action-in-support-of-student-protests/

Ljubomir Jacić

Nonsense? Then criticize the climate madness, the energy idiocy, the economic idiocy, the corona madness and, more recently, the warmongering. Even experienced Nobel Prize winners in physics, medicine and biochemistry were torn down by politicians and the aligned press for the slightest criticism.

And I didn't attack the Nobel Prize itself, but the Nobel Peace Prize. And there are such glorious figures as Barack Obama, the US President who has started the most wars in US-history, and the EU as an institution that is absolutely undemocratic and compared to which the mafia is a preschool kindergarten when it comes to corruption.

Petition to defend academic freedom against US interference

"Nearly 900 scientists have signed a petition demanding that UNIFI, the Council of Rectors of Finnish Universities, and Arene, the Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences, take action to defend academic freedom in Finland from interference by the administration of United States President Donald Trump. The petition, addressed to the rectors of Finnish universities and universities of applied science, states that President Trump’s efforts to move against diversity, equity and inclusion, and against tackling climate change, are a matter of concern, with even the use of certain expressions being denied from federal employees and the scientific community. It states: “This attempt to restrict academic freedom and freedom of speech has now reached Finland. The University of Helsinki has already been issued demands to remove terms like ‘climate change’ and ‘egalitarian society’ from Fulbright scholarship announcements. “We are concerned that this is just the beginning. The way in which we respond to these demands now will set limits on how far-reaching demands are issued in the future.”...

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250306171521780

Nun, werter Ljubomir Jacić, auch wenn Sie es nicht wahr haben wollen: es gehört genauso zur akademischen Freiheit, den Klima-Bullshit, wie ihn das IPCC vertritt, hinreichend durch Fakten untermauert als das zu bezeichnen, was er ist: als Bullshit. Ich kann das. Und es gehört zur akademischen Freiheit, eine Inlusion, die auf Gleichmacherei hinausläuft, in der sich jeder dem Einfältigsten unterzuordnen hat, ebenfalls als Bullshit zu bezeichnen. Und ebenfalls als Bullshit, wenn diversity bedeutet, dass nicht Leistung entscheidet, sondern Hautfarbe oder eingebildetes Geschlecht.

Es steht Ihnen frei, zu erforschen, was auch immer sie wollen. Wenn Sie dazu Geldgeber finden, die Ihre Ideolgie teilen - ok, da habe nicht gegen einzuwenden. Aber wenn Sie eben keinen finden und dann mit Drohungen und anderem reagieren, out Sie sich als nichts anderes denn als akademischer Faschist. Und anders gehen Sie ja anscheinend auch nicht mit Akademikern um, die Ihre Ideologie nicht teilen.

Global collaborations can help to bolster academic freedom

"Academic freedom is a cornerstone of higher education, enabling scholars to conduct research and share ideas without fear of interference. However, its interpretation and implementation vary widely across national contexts. In Germany, academic freedom is safeguarded by strong legal frameworks but faces pressures from market-driven research priorities and politicisation. In Ukraine, the legacy of Soviet centralisation, ongoing war and financial dependency hinder the development of fully autonomous institutions. These differences came to light during a panel discussion on academic freedom, held at the 3rd International Conference on “Open Science and Innovation in Ukraine 2024” last October as part of Germany’s Year of Science..."

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250311091253781

Supporting Academic Librarians in Navigating Attacks on Intellectual Freedom

It took many decades to develop the infrastructure that makes the U.S. a world leader in research and innovation, and it will take many voices to defend it...

https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/03/27/guest-post-supporting-academic-librarians-in-navigating-attacks-on-intellectual-freedom/?informz=1&nbd=&nbd_source=informz

How Europe aims to woo US scientists and protect academic freedom

The European Union’s new research chief Ekaterina Zaharieva speaks to Nature about attracting disaffected US scientists and cutting grant bureaucracy...

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01002-5

The sound of freedom

"Protests against the government in Serbia have been going on for months, culminating in a mass showing in the country’s capital, Belgrade (estimates range between 100,000 and 300,000 people attending). Among worry, hope, fear, pride, and other predictable mix of emotions people like me who have left Serbia experience as we watch them, one sensation became clear: I feel sorry for (and a bit angry, and a bit frustrated with) people who keep looking to the student movement to provide them with a political solution, or act disappointed when the student movement refuses to do so.

The student movement is not there to institute a new government nor to act as a transitional one. It is not there to provide restitution or redistribution, especially as power tends to accumulate to those who grab it. Given Serbia’s external debt, that kind of power is likely to be used to decide how and to whom to sell the lithium mine. Asking for the student movement to appoint or at least point to that sort of power, to me, seems like a refusal of autonomy – or like the people got so used to being ruled over that they cannot recognize autonomy even if it is given...

Most importantly, perhaps, the student movement has demonstrated that the feared president is a paper tiger. Vučić may still cling to the illusion of being in charge, much like Serbia’s former president Milošević did during the interregnum after October 5th 2000, when the protestors stormed the Parliament. For at least 100,000 people on March 15th 2025, however, that illusion has been dispelled permanently. The ensuing vacuum is not to be feared: in it reigns a silence of possibility, a silence that the regime is so afraid of it will use dreaded LRADs (sound canons) just to fill it.

That silence is the sound of freedom."

https://pescanik.net/the-sound-of-freedom/

Everything for the teachers

"Apologies for broadening the focus. March 15 is immensely important. On that day, Serbia could really become a different country. And let me be very clear: a different country with a hope of becoming a decent political community.

This does not mean that something big will happen or change on that particular day. This means that on Saturday we could get a final confirmation that there is potential for changes for the better in Serbia and that collective strength is able to cope with the current regime. It has nothing to do with violence, but it is certainly a display of political muscle.

But there is something equally important that could be done before Saturday. And if we do that, it will also be a victory as big as hundreds of thousands of people on the streets of Belgrade. So big that March 15 itself might become at least a little less important. Which would not be bad – to reduce the pressure on the people of Serbia in connection with that day. I am referring, of course, to the teachers and, more specifically, raising money for them.

At this moment, I do not see a stronger political gesture, a stronger show of solidarity (and we need solidarity) or a more effective anti-regime move than raising money for workers in schools across Serbia...

Having a state costs money, and now we know exactly how much – that amount is equal to the teachers’ stolen salaries. If we raise money and protect teachers and, at the same time, lay the groundwork for a different, better school system than we currently have, we will do well in more ways than one. Without entering into a direct violent conflict with the current regime, we will create a space of freedom and independence from the criminal state in the very heart of the political community.

We will further encourage everyone else to show disobedience to the corrupt government, and take away the government’s leverage for blackmailing the people of Serbia. And all this for the price of a few teachers’ salaries.

Judging by the first reactions, many collective actors (political parties, faculties…) as well as individuals (from people abroad, to athletes, to parents and other residents of Serbia) have already lined up to donate money. Which means that we are on the threshold of victory even before March 15. And that the adults have finally decided to show that they, too, are able to take their destiny into their own hands, instead of relying on their children to do it for them."

https://pescanik.net/everything-for-the-teachers/

Harvard shock throws the spotlight on university autonomy

Harvard University’s recent political problems should wake us up to the reality of university dependence and force us to question what autonomy is – not merely the absence of interference, but the capacity to establish and pursue one’s own priorities without coercion...

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250416190842476

It is time to defend ordinary scholars, not poach talent

We are witnessing a lack of support for academic scholars, academic freedom, higher education, research, science and pursuit of knowledge. Instead, we see old-fashioned greed in the guise of standing up for academic freedom and science. The ordinary scholar is on their own...

"It is sad and logical that higher education and research have lost many core values and functions, and that universities have been transformed into business organisations which compete in a global market. If we want higher education, research and universities to be essential to our future democratic societies, standing up for the ordinary scholar is crucial.

As an institution and a symbol for higher education based on scientific knowledge and academic freedom, the university has served society for a long time.

The university will not be part of our future if we cannot stand up for its core role in the local community. In its place there will be education and science, but it will not be built on academic freedom and democratic practices."

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250422084221630

Serbia’s academics call for research chapter in EU accession process to be reopened

New curbs on academic freedom mean Serbia no longer meets conditions for joining the EU, campaigners argue...

"Thousands of Serbian scientists and artists have signed a call for the European Commission to reopen chapter 25 of their country’s EU accession process, the section that covers research and science. This is necessary, the call says, because of recently introduced curbs on academic freedom, which are endangering livelihoods in the country.

Student and academic delegates from Serbia have been meeting EU officials this week to set out their case. They are also urging the Commission to stand with academics and others “who defend European values of democracy, education, and scientific freedom, and to stop supporting a regime that is systematically destroying them.”..."

https://sciencebusiness.net/news/research-and-innovation-gap/serbias-academics-call-research-chapter-eu-accession-process-be

Harvard’s lawsuit offers an opening for ethical renewal

"In a matter of weeks, Harvard University has found itself at the centre of two seismic confrontations with the United States federal government. In April 2025, it filed a landmark lawsuit against the Department of Education, challenging what it described as a politically motivated overreach threatening academic freedom and institutional autonomy.

This week, the Department of Homeland Security abruptly revoked Harvard’s certification to enroll international students – casting the legal status of more than 6,800 students into limbo and effectively redefining one of the world’s most prestigious universities as a national security concern.

These back-to-back actions signal something larger than bureaucratic disputes. Together, they mark an inflection point in the role and governance of the university itself. What was once a question of federal oversight has now become a crisis of academic sovereignty...

The Harvard lawsuit offers an opening – not just for legal resolution but for ethical renewal. In choosing to challenge the federal government, Harvard has an opportunity to restate the purpose of the university in an age of moral confusion.

It is not enough to fight for autonomy. We must also fight for relevance, justice and imagination.

In the years to come, this lawsuit may be remembered not for its legal outcome but for whether it sparked a wider effort to reclaim the university – not as an institution of power but as a sanctuary for democratic possibility."

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=2025052314174934

Critics say Ontario’s new bill threatens academic freedom

Critics believe a new bill that will give the Ontario provincial government powers to set criteria and processes that the province’s post-secondary institutions use to determine entrance into programmes threatens academic freedom and echoes attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion in the United States...

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250609183710619

Academic freedom at risk: Creating centres of resistance

For higher education, this period brought profound transformations, especially an expansion of international cooperation and student mobility, and a surge in academic freedom and institutional autonomy.

"However, in recent years, these trends have been increasingly questioned, challenged and even dismantled, as geopolitical tensions, nationalist policies and ideological shifts toward populism, illiberal democracy and autocracy reshape the landscape of global higher education. In many ways, these developments have caught higher education by surprise.

Take, for example, academic freedom, ie, the freedom of academic staff and students to research, teach, learn and disseminate knowledge within and outside the higher education sector. In recent years, we have witnessed a global erosion of academic freedom, even in democracies...

Even though nationalist tendencies lead to deinternationalisation and a clampdown on mobility, threats to academic freedom travel across borders, highlighting how interconnected the challenges faced by academic institutions worldwide have become."

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250618111454838&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SDGNL9039

Serbia must halt crackdown on student movement, uphold human rights and academic freedom: UN experts

UN human rights experts today expressed deep concern over Serbia’s intensifying crackdown on students, professors, human rights defenders, civil society actors and citizens amid one of the largest protest movements in the country’s recent history.

“What we are witnessing in Serbia is a systematic attempt to silence critical voices and dismantle the independence of academic institutions,” the experts said. “This is not just a student protest — it is a test of human rights accountability and democratic resilience.”

“Access to justice, effective remedies and reparation is a fundamental right under international human rights law,” the experts said. “Victims of human rights violations must be able to seek justice, obtain redress, and be protected from further harm and retaliation.”...

The UN experts called on the Serbian Government to immediately cease all forms of retaliation and intimidation, ensure the safety and rights of students, educators, human rights defenders, civil society actors and citizens and engage in meaningful dialogue with academic institutions..."

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/08/serbia-must-halt-crackdown-student-movement-uphold-human-rights-and-academic

How authoritarian states co-opt academic modernisation and bibliometrics for control

Global higher education policies are often underpinned by bibliometric performance metrics. While these targets ostensibly aim at raising the quality of academic work, Aikerim Bektemirova argues in authoritarian states they can be deployed to discipline and constrain academic freedom...

"Across the world, academic metrics (journal impact factors, citation indexes, and university rankings) are often seen as markers of progress. Framed as tools to ensure transparency, quality, and global competitiveness, they form the backbone of many higher education (HE) reforms. But in authoritarian contexts, these instruments are increasingly repurposed not just to promote excellence, but also to consolidate state control over research and academia.

Kazakhstan, Russia, and China offer three instructive examples of how “modernisation” narratives are used to reshape universities into more compliant institutions. When implemented without democratic oversight, global performance metrics risk becoming tools of centralisation, eroding academic freedom, marginalising critical scholarship, and aligning research with state-defined agendas...

While metrics may offer useful tools for transparency and quality assurance, in authoritarian regimes they risk becoming instruments of repression—subtly shaping academia in ways that undermine academic freedom, intellectual diversity, and public responsibility. International institutions and ranking bodies that create and endorse these standards have a responsibility to consider their unintended consequences. We need to move beyond rankings and citation counts to embrace a vision of HE rooted in critical inquiry, intellectual independence, and societal relevance—especially where these values are most at risk."

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2025/08/20/how-authoritarian-states-co-opt-academic-modernisation-and-bibliometrics-for-control/

‘Accountability agreements’ raise autonomy concerns

Hong Kong’s eight publicly funded universities have signed three-year ‘accountability agreements’ with the city authorities, aligning them more closely with the national and education goals of the Beijing government. The agreements also increase government control over university budgets, which experts say undermines university autonomy...

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250806155111271

Police broken University autonomy and academic freedom in Serbia.

Serbian Police Confront Students as University Dean Tries to End Blockade

"As tensions continue to run high amid ongoing anti-government protests in Serbia, scuffles broke out after the dean of Novi Sad University's Faculty of Philosophy called in police to help overcome a student blockade of the building...

The intrusion of the administration into the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad and the expulsion of students, accompanied by threats of exemplary disciplinary measures, represents an attack on freedom of thought and the right to protest. The faculty belongs to students and must remain students’ because only then can it be free...

Students have been occupying faculty buildings in Serbia since the end of November 2024. The first was the Belgrade University Faculty of Dramatic Arts, where students started a blockade after an attack on them in November during a silent vigil in honour of the victims of the Novi Sad train station roof collapse. After that, students at other faculties an universities started to launch their own blockades."

https://balkaninsight.com/2025/08/27/serbian-police-confront-students-as-university-dean-tries-to-end-blockade/

https://vreme.com/en/vesti/novi-sad-kordon-policije-pred-filozofskim-fakultetom/

Why academic metrics may undermine academic freedom

"Across the world, academic metrics (journal impact factors, citation indexes and university rankings) are often seen as markers of progress. Framed as tools to ensure transparency, quality and global competitiveness, they form the backbone of many higher education reforms.

However, in authoritarian contexts, these instruments are increasingly repurposed not just to promote excellence but also to consolidate state control over research and academia.

Kazakhstan, Russia and China offer three instructive examples of how ‘modernisation’ narratives are used to reshape universities into more compliant institutions. When implemented without democratic oversight, global performance metrics risk becoming tools of centralisation, eroding academic freedom, marginalising critical scholarship, and aligning research with state-defined agendas..."

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250828130959832

Academic Freedom in a Time of Destruction: Reconsidering Extramural Speech

The protection of extramural speech is crucial for understanding the relationship of democracy to higher education...

"In the immediate aftermath of the 2024 US presidential election, before Donald Trump took office and started to threaten universities with the withdrawal of federal grants, it was already clear that academic freedom had become increasingly disregarded by university administrations. It is difficult to make an argument that will not become outdated by the time it is published. And yet, writing in the midst of shifting historical circumstances always runs that risk. Although academic freedom is not under attack everywhere, it is increasingly attacked in the United States, where its precepts have been generally regarded as part of the normative framework within which institutions of higher education operate..."

https://publicseminar.org/2025/09/academic-freedom-extramural-speech/