March 11, 2021
In a controversial move, the government decided to force state-funded universities and educational institutions to seek permission from the Ministry of External Affairs each time they wish to host “international conferences and seminars online.” Under the new guidelines, there will be a blanket freeze on “international” webinars on matters related to India’s security, the North Eastern states, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, or other “internal matters” of the country. Even the list of participants will have to be vetted by an “administrative secretary.” This goes against the ambitious New Education Policy, which was announced by this very government last year, and which included a vision of the “internationalization” of education. The Policy sought to invite world-class universities to open campuses in India, promising to make autonomy and freedom central to higher education.
