A Comparative Analysis of Academic Freedom within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in India and the USA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/jcihe.v12i6S1.3078Keywords:
India, US, HIE, Academic Freedom, CensorshipAbstract
India has one of the largest post-secondary sectors in the world and has witnessed a four-fold increase in Higher Education Institution (HEI) enrolment since 2001. However, in the past decade, Indian HEIs have been facing problems of low employability, poor teaching quality, weak governance, insufficient funding, and academic censorship. This research study seeks carries out a comparative analysis of academic freedom within HEIs in India and the US through a systematic review of relevant literature and semi-structured qualitative interviews with ten students each from HEIs in India and the US. The study fills the gap that exists in the field of International Higher Education when it comes to a transnational comparative analysis of academic freedom. Academic freedom within HEIs plays a significant role in promoting democratic values by encouraging free inquiry and open exchange of ideas and thus is an important area of study. Preliminary data from the systematic review of relevant literature revealed a disproportionate decline within academic freedom in HEIs in India and the presence of relatively strong institutional structures that help safeguard academic freedom within HEIs in the US, which might be one of the factors behind the high rankings of US HEIs within international league tables.
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