Universities’ Original Purpose — Universities were founded to produce secular, scientific, and critical knowledge that challenges power structures, advances democratization, and addresses social needs — not to serve elites or markets.

Erosion by Marketisation and Managerialism — The rise of profit-driven management, standardization, commodification, and “employability” schemes has turned universities into teaching factories, suppressing critical thinking, innovation, and research with genuine social purpose.

Need for Collective Revival — The crisis can only be resolved by restoring the collective foundations of education — freedom to research, teach, and learn without interference from markets, states, corporations, or religious forces — to rebuild knowledge production for emancipation and societal progress.

Human beings and their societies established universities and institutions of higher learning to challenge orthodox knowledge, advance new discoveries, and overcome the pressing challenges of their time. Social, economic, and political necessities, along with human curiosity, formed the foundations upon which these centers of higher learning were built. They were designed to produce knowledge and skills tailored to the specific needs of their people, places, and historical contexts.

The production of new, secular, and scientific knowledge has frequently challenged both ruling and nonruling elites. It has called into question reactionary traditional and religious values and exposed the blind beliefs prevalent across different societies worldwide. At its core, the pursuit of secular and scientific knowledge—achieved by questioning established doctrines and power structures—has been central to deepening democratization and promoting the decolonization of minds and the body politic.

In their daily operations, universities have pursued the twin objectives of education for essence (selfrealization with everyday needs ) and education for emancipation (social, economic and political liberation from conditions of feudalism, patriarchy, colonialism, capitalism and imperialism, conditions of poverty, exploitation and inequalities ). Students and staff engage in producing knowledge and skills that are essential not only for individual........

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