noun
freedom of learning; academic freedom
Refers to the principle that scholarship and education should be free from external control or interference.
学の独立は、民主主義社会の基盤の一つです。
Academic freedom is one of the foundations of a democratic society.
Compound of 学 (learning, scholarship) + の (possessive particle) + 独立 (independence). The phrase is a calque from Western concepts of academic freedom.