Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Monday urged colleges and universities to get back to teaching and curb indoctrination.

In an interview on the Just the News, No Noise  TV show, McMahon said colleges should once again become places where students can openly debate ideas and pursue the truth.

"[We want] to make sure that they actually are higher institutions of learning. That they are places for truth seekers to be able to go and to have open debate," she said.

The interview came hours after McMahon sent an open letter to university presidents nationwide outlining seven principles the Trump administration wants institutions to answer to and “reaffirm their commitment to serving the American people” by the end of the calendar year.

She described the letter as a "call to action" rather than a mandate, noting that many universities already follow several of the recommendations.

"It's really something for universities to take a look at and to say, yes, these are things that we believe that we should be focused on," she said.

Among the questions the administration is asking universities to answer include:

• "How will your institution ensure admissions decisions are based on merit, achievement, and your university’s educational purpose?"
• "How will your institution ensure that families can access affordable, high-return, degrees?"
• "How will your institution incentivize rigor in the age of AI, combat grade inflation, and prioritize excellence in teaching and learning?"

The education secretary during Monday's interview also strongly criticized what she described as declining academic rigor and grade inflation. 

"They reduced the quality and the rigor of grading, and we cannot have that in our higher universities," McMahon said.

The Trump administration has previously pushed for higher education reforms. Last year, it introduced the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, an initiative which outlined requirements for admission, tuition, hiring and more. No major university agreed to the compact.

McMahon is hopeful that higher education is beginning to move in a different direction. “There are changes afoot in thinking about how education ought to be handled. And I think we're making some good steps," McMahon said.