More power granted to higher education board

Today’s Zaman 05 September 2014

In its latest effort to control every part of society, Turkey’s government is seeking to redesign universities with a proposal that will change the Law on Higher Education to increase the authority of the Higher Education Board – YÖK – and make it the only body to decide on academic promotions. In addition, medical faculties will be subordinate to the Health Ministry, writes Abdulkerim Bedir for Today’s Zaman.

Bans, purges and reappointments of public servants have become normal since the major corruption probes made public on 18 and 25 December 2013, and the number of people who have been reappointed or fired increases with each passing day. Now, the government is taking action to intimidate academic circles.

According to the bill, YÖK will take over the authority to endorse associate professorship degrees and to judge the equivalency of doctoral degrees earned elsewhere from the Inter-University Board, an independent body, and the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology will have the final say in determining the candidates who will be granted YÖK scholarships, provided to postgraduate students studying at universities abroad.
Full report on the Today’s Zaman site

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