The South African Constitution and various statutes recognise the right to academic freedom, and a number of statutes recognise the right of staff and students to participate in the governance of the university.
Yet neither the Constitution nor any statute defines what academic freedom means. It is nevertheless clear from the texts that it is linked to and forms part of the right to freedom of speech and expression.
Four aspects of academic freedom for students that few would deny are equally relevant to university staff, namely:
* Freedom to express and defend their own views and beliefs, and to question and to differ without authoritative repression or victimisation either by the state or by the university authorities;
* A guarantee of procedural fairness in the administration of discipline;
* Substantial autonomy of student (and staff) groups and organisations in the conduct of their own activities; and
* An effective measure of participation in the government and policies of the university.
The fuss was over the submission by the science and agriculture faculty's criticism of the university's academic freedom record.
Source: Mail & Guardian
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