The government decided on April 24, 2025, to appoint the inquiry Strengthened protection of academic freedom (dir 2025:42).
SFS has today submitted a submission to the investigation. In the submission, we urge the investigation to:
- Clarify the extent to which students' academic freedom is protected by the general protection of academic freedom in Chapter 1, Section 6, first paragraph, HL.
- Clarify what the formal protection of students' academic freedom means in practice.
- Identify how student influence can be improved and contribute to improving the relationship between students, teachers and researchers
- Highlight the connection between organizational factors [for example, lack of support and low teacher-led time] and the risk of threats, hatred and harassment within the university.
The inquiry's directive is limited to the academic freedom of researchers and teachers, which therefore leaves no room for proposals aimed at increasing the independence between the government and higher education institutions or proposals aimed solely at strengthening students' academic freedom.
Read the full recording here.