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Focuses on the dispute between Ahmet Necdet Sezer, president of Turkey and Kemal G uuml r uuml z, president of the Higher Education Council, regarding higher education policy. Background on the beliefs, practices and principles of the two leaders; Details on their conflicting views on the use of the Kurdish language in education; Impact on the national debate on higher education reform.

Discusses the challenges faced by Kurdish students in Turkey as they try to request for optional courses on the Kurdish language. Information on efforts by officials to justify the ban on the use of Kurdish in education; Restrictions on speaking and publishing in Kurdish; Mistreatment cases of students in police custody; Effect on educational issues such as the right to an education taught in the native tongue.

Takes a look at the issue of head scarves on university campuses in Turkey where a ban on the wearing of clothing deemed to be religious has been a divisive issue since the late 1980s. The two opposing views on the issue; Why female students in head scarves often play a subversive role within the Islamist movement; How Islamist students see themselves; Comments from Nilufer Gole, a sociology professor at Bogazici University in Istanbul.

Discusses the major changes in Turkey's program to train academics for the its expanded university system. Increase in the testing and screening of candidates; Requirement of extensive English-language training before qualifying for advanced study abroad; Assertion that training large numbers of young academics in the West is worth the expense; Review of past programs.

Discusses the higher education system in Turkey. Enrollments that are increasing at state higher education institutions; Academic standards that have suffered due to rapid expansion of the system; Trained academics that are in short supply; The high priority of finding ways to strengthen the new universities.

Looks at the response of students at Istanbul University in Turkey to a rule forbidding Islamic women from wearing the head scarves that their religion demands. 1925 Turkish dress code banning clothing considered to be religious; The head of the university's fierce defense of secularism; Comments from analysts of the situation.

Reports on the decision of the parliament government of Turkey to approve an amnesty bill concerning students who are dismissed from a university since June 29, 2000 for academic or disciplinary reasons. Opposition of universities to the bill; Claims of Islamist Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the proposed measure; Support of the European Court on Human Rights for the amnesty bill.

Reports on the decision of the Turkish Parliament to adopt a higher-education bill in May 2004. Concerns of the military and educational leaders in Turkey regarding the bill; Statement issued by the administration of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding the legislation; Charges made by the educational leaders regarding the hidden agenda of the government.

Reports on student demonstrations in Turkey to protest the country's higher-education policy. Number of people injured in Ankara, the capital of the country, when a student demonstration was dispersed by the police; Disagreement between secular universities and moderate Islamist government; Ethnic and religious issues confronting the higher education in the country.

Presents an update on universities and colleges as of June 1, 2001. Ruling made by Canada's Supreme Court on the right of Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia to have its teacher-training program approved by the British Columbia College of Teachers; Punishment imposed by Turkish authorities on Fatih University for its association with the Islamist movement.

Provides information on Koc University and Sabanci University in Turkey. Language of instruction; Tuition and faculty salary of the private institutions; Mass transfer of college teachers from other universities; Policy of the state on private higher education; Participation of students in team development projects.

Reports on the establishment of Sabanci University and Koc University, which are private educational institutions in Turkey. Similarities between the two universities; Competition for top academics; Criticisms against private education.

Presents international news briefs related to higher education as of September 10, 1999. Damage to Turkish universities by earthquake; Identification of the universities damaged; Flaws in machinery used to grade the scores of Turkey's university entrance examination; Impact; Legislation on standards of the Israeli branch of the University of Derby; Strikes by faculty members across Australia for salary increase.

Presents two brief stories regarding international education news for October 30, 1998. Details of demonstrations being held in Turkey to protest the ban on female students' wearing Islamic head scarves; The lawsuit filed by Gabor Lukacs, a 15-year-old master's-degress student in mathematics against the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology for not allowing him to be a section leader.

Reports that Turkey is considering giving the military a say in deciding if the degrees awarded by some higher-education institutions abroad should be recognized in Turkey. Turkey's move to make certain countries which are sponsors of `fundamentalist terrorism' completely off-limits to Turkish students; Move to deny recognition of degrees from foreign institutions that are considered educationally inadequate.

Focuses on Harald Bohmer, a German chemist who heads a natural-dye laboratory at Marmara State University in Istanbul, Turkey. His teaching to carpet makers of the lost art of using natural colors to dye their wool; Reasons for his preference for natural dyes; His help to the carpetmakers in marketing their rugs; Background of his interest in the university project; Description of the rugmaking community and their wares.