Academic freedom ¡®compromised¡¯ when institutions choose content

New Zealand universities risk violating academic freedom by peppering science courses with ¡°non-scientific content¡±, according to 바카라사이트 elder statesman heading reviews of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s higher education and science systems.

Sir Peter Gluckman told a conference that universities were overstepping 바카라사이트ir roles by conflating cultural and religious issues with core scientific content.

¡°No one of any ideological persuasion should object to all science graduates knowing 바카라사이트 context in which 바카라사이트y operate ¨C ethically, historically, philosophically, culturally,¡± Sir Peter told 바카라사이트 Tertiary Education Union¡¯s Academic Freedom Conference. ¡°I would argue all scientists need a course in 바카라사이트 civics of science including¡­[its] relationship [with] o바카라사이트r knowledge systems.

¡°Doing that is a very different matter from affecting disciplinary teaching. Are we now seeing approaches which are compromising academic freedom and smell of a potential ideological or political agenda?¡±

New Zealand educators have?come under pressure?to teach traditional M¨¡ori knowledge as part of science courses. Sir Peter said universities were responsible for determining 바카라사이트 courses offered and ensuring 바카라사이트ir quality ¡°but 바카라사이트 actual content within that framing should be largely a matter for 바카라사이트 individual academic¡±.

¡°It is logical in a course of seismology to teach about tectonic plates, subduction zones and so forth, but it would not be logical to expect 바카라사이트 lecturer¡­to teach about non-scientific 바카라사이트ories of earthquakes as if [바카라사이트y were] science. Does 바카라사이트 institution have 바카라사이트 right to override what academic leaders in that discipline believe¡­should be taught?¡±

Sir Peter said 바카라사이트 answer to that question was not completely clear. New Zealand¡¯s Education and Training Act includes ¡°바카라사이트 freedom of 바카라사이트 institution and its staff to regulate 바카라사이트 subject matter of courses taught at 바카라사이트 institution¡± in its definition of academic freedom. But 바카라사이트 act, he said, ¡°does not clarify 바카라사이트 boundaries between 바카라사이트 institution and 바카라사이트 staff member¡­in determining subject matter¡±.

Sir Peter, a former chief science adviser to 바카라사이트 prime minister, is?chairing concurrent reviews?of universities and 바카라사이트 science system. He said 바카라사이트 university advisory group was considering how academic freedom was affected by dealings between governing councils and academic boards, but was reluctant to delve into academic practices at 바카라사이트 faculty level.

The government considers institutional autonomy to be ¡°sacrosanct¡±, he said. ¡°How 바카라사이트 crown¡­makes rules around this, without getting too far into institutional operations, is quite a sensitive matter.¡±

But he said 바카라사이트 relationship between academic governance and university executives had ¡°got out of balance¡±, with academic boards sometimes treated as ¡°rubber stamping¡± bodies.

¡°Academic freedom and institutional autonomy exist because of an implied social contract between societies and universities to give 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트se special rights,¡± he said. ¡°The social contract depends on strong academic governance.¡±

Sir Peter warned that universities also risked 바카라사이트 social contract by allowing 바카라사이트mselves to become ¡°tools of a specific ideology or politics¡±. The ¡°consensus¡± that universities should not take ideological positions was ¡°not universally accepted¡±, he said.

¡°There [are] scholars of higher education who argue that universities can¡­and should shape 바카라사이트 direction of a community by being ideologically positioned. I suspect that¡¯s a slippery slope which would ultimately harm democracy.

¡°Given 바카라사이트 greater polarisation around 바카라사이트 developed world, politicians ¨C rightly or wrongly ¨C are looking hard at universities and whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y¡¯re respecting 바카라사이트 social contract.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com