Academic Freedom: The View from Mauritius

Ramola Ramtohul is a professor of Social Studies at the University of Mauritius. In addition to surveying Mauritian university and higher ed landscape, Professor Ramtohul describes the precarious state of academic freedom in the country. Academic freedom is stronger than in most other African nations, but government authorities monitor academics closely, leading to a “chilling effect” – professors often feel the pressures of the country’s bureaucracy even if academic freedom is never directly under assault. Academic freedom in a state sponsored African university: The case of the University of Mauritius is a great look at how academic freedom exists in a nation whose first university is only about fifty years old. It’s also a warning that academic freedom needs to be protected in more than name only.

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