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Scholars at Risk 2026 Report: Is India's Higher Education System Under 'Attack'?
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News18•29-09-2026, 09:23
Scholars at Risk 2026 Report: Is India's Higher Education System Under 'Attack'?
- •Scholars at Risk (SAR) released its "Free to Think 2026" report, documenting 42 "attacks" on higher education in India between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.
- •The report claims India has the highest number of "attacks" among 59 countries, raising concerns about educational freedom.
- •SAR's definition of "attack" is broad, encompassing violence, imprisonment, removal from position, and 'other' incidents, which may not accurately reflect academic freedom in India.
- •Given India's vast higher education system (1,213 universities, 46,624 colleges), 42 incidents are not proportionally large, and the report lacks per-institution or per-student-teacher ratio data.
- •The report conflates state regulation (e.g., university governance, VC appointments) with "attack" or "repression," failing to distinguish between setting rules and suppressing thought, which are fundamentally different.
Key Questions Answered
Released on September 15, the 'Free to Think 2026' report by Scholars at Risk (SAR) states that 42 'attacks' on higher education in India were recorded between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, which is the highest among 59 covered countries.
The report's category of 'attack' is deliberately broad, encompassing severe incidents like violence and imprisonment, alongside administrative decisions, removal from positions, campus disputes, and other disciplinary actions.
Critics argue the report presents an incomplete picture by failing to account for the massive scale of India's education system—comprising 1,213 universities and 46,624 colleges—or measure incidents proportionally relative to system size.
