Sagarika Ghose,
TNN
Feb 21, 2015, 02.15AM IST
NEW DELHI: A day after it became public that Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has stepped down as chancellor of Nalanda University without seeking a second term, Sen lashed out at what he called the lack of academic freedom in India under the Modi government.
In an interview to TOI, Sen said, "Governments must understand that winning a Lok Sabha election does not give you permission to undermine the autonomy of academic institutions, or for that matter, the courts or the upper house of Parliament. Universities don't have the power of courts or the upper house so they are easy prey. You can go through them like a sword through butter."
The renowned economist said, "Academic freedom is based on the government understanding the limits of its formal power as opposed to its actual power and what they are expected to do: they are expected to listen to the voice of the professoriate and the voice of the people in the university.
TNN
Feb 21, 2015, 02.15AM IST
NEW DELHI: A day after it became public that Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has stepped down as chancellor of Nalanda University without seeking a second term, Sen lashed out at what he called the lack of academic freedom in India under the Modi government.
In an interview to TOI, Sen said, "Governments must understand that winning a Lok Sabha election does not give you permission to undermine the autonomy of academic institutions, or for that matter, the courts or the upper house of Parliament. Universities don't have the power of courts or the upper house so they are easy prey. You can go through them like a sword through butter."
The renowned economist said, "Academic freedom is based on the government understanding the limits of its formal power as opposed to its actual power and what they are expected to do: they are expected to listen to the voice of the professoriate and the voice of the people in the university.
Amartya Sen said that looking at the way the HRD ministry is functioning, and the interference in universities and in bodies like the ICHR, academic freedom across the board is threatened.
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