'Worse Than Emergency Years': Global Ranking Says Academic Freedom Lowest In India Since 1900
New Delhi: A recent report published by the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracies) Academic Freedom Index project, India’s academic and research freedom has declined significantly. The report pointed out that the academic freedom is at its lowest since 1900.
The ranking highlighted that India’s current position is even below the Emergency years between 1975 and 1977. The country ranked among the bottom 10-20 per cent of countries globally in academic freedom.
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The Academic Freedom Index project, which assesses academic freedom across the world between 1900 and 2025, pointed out that Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Syria and Yemen outperformed India.
The index examined key parameteres including freedom to research and teach, institutional autonomy, academic exchange and dissemination, campus integrity, and academic and cultural expression.
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The report pointed out that several educational and research institutions in the country has seen a gradual decline in all these parameters since 2013-14.
