The Global Student Forum joined university leaders, scholars, and policymakers at the 2025 Magna Charta Observatory (MCO) Anniversary Conference, held at King’s College London under the theme “Higher education principles, values, and responsibilities in a fragmented world.” Representing the student voice were GSF Executive Director Jacob Blasius and the two student members of the Magna Charta Governing Council, Peter Kwasi Kodjie and Martina Darmanin.
The conference gathered actors from every region to reflect on the state of academic values at a moment marked by political uncertainty, growing distrust in institutions, and widening global divisions. With more than 1,000 universities across 90 countries now having endorsed the Magna Charta Universitatum, the meeting served as a crucial space to examine how these commitments are upheld in practice.
Students at the Centre of the Values Agenda
For GSF, the conference reinforced a central message: safeguarding the values of academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and social responsibility cannot be achieved without meaningful and formalised student participation. Across multiple sessions, student representatives underlined that values are not only principles to be declared by university leadership, but rights that must be lived and protected by academic communities as a whole.
In discussions ranging from ethical leadership to the erosion of academic freedom, GSF’s delegation highlighted how students around the world are directly affected by threats to autonomy and the shrinking civic space in higher education. They emphasised that students are not passive beneficiaries of academic values, but active partners who hold institutions accountable and help shape systems that serve the public interest.
Reclaiming Higher Education as a Public Good
The conference echoed concerns repeatedly raised by GSF in global education forums: pressures from political interference, privatisation, and underfunding are weakening universities’ ability to uphold their public mission. As fragmentation increases, cooperation and solidarity across borders become more important than ever.
GSF welcomed the renewed commitment to embed values in institutional practice. Discussions on internal codification of principles, ethical frameworks, and leadership development resonated strongly with the student movement’s call for transparent governance and a rights-based approach to higher education.
A Shared Responsibility Across the Academic Community
Throughout the event, the need for stronger collaboration between universities, associations, and student organisations was clear. GSF reiterated that defending academic freedom and rebuilding public trust requires collective action anchored in shared values and democratic engagement.
The Global Student Forum looks forward to deepening cooperation with the Magna Charta Observatory, and partners across the higher education ecosystem to ensure that these principles are not only reaffirmed, but realised in daily practice for students and academic communities worldwide.
