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Middle East

THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Curfews Impinge on Education Process

After weeks of incursions by Israeli Defense Forces, lecturers and students at West Bank universities have tried to carry on as usual, but are finding it increasingly difficult. Most schools remained open during the violence, but many students could not attend classes because of Israeli-imposed curfews in West Bank cities and towns.

Universities that cater to local communities have not been affected significantly. Schools that enroll large numbers of students from distant towns and cities have found it difficult to conduct classes. One university official said it was common for soldiers to stop lecturers and students at the checkpoints, making it difficult to get for them to get to class.

Universities were frustrated at what they called an interruption to the educational process. One university even closed for more than a week because of the curfew, while others saw only about half their students arriving for class.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
March 22, 2002

QATAR

Salary Dispute Tables Qatar Campus of UNC

Plans for an undergraduate branch campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Qatar were called off because of financial disagreements. The two sides - the university and the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development - could not agree on the compensation packages for professors, foundation officials said.

The 18-month-old plan would have established an undergraduate business-degree program with an annual budget of US$18 million. Post-Sept. 11 worries may have contributed to the plan's demise as well, foundation officials said.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
February 2002

TURKEY

Kurdish Education Petitioners on Trial

Twenty-six students have been arrested for petitioning to have elective courses at universities taught in Kurdish. The students are charged with belonging to the Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK), and could face jail terms as long as 22 years if convicted.

The PKK is a militant political organization that for the past 15 years has been fighting to establish a sovereign state for ethnic Kurds, a "nationless" people who make up about a third of Turkey's population. Before 1986, it was illegal to speak Kurdish in Turkey; today it remains banned on the radio and television, and its use is still forbidden in schools and universities

The petitioners' case resides in Ankara's State Security Court, which is normally used for terror trials and security hearings. The students stand accused of being part of a national and international plot against the Turkish nation. Accusers say the students were trying - like the PKK - to divide the country. Supporters argue the students were within their constitutional rights to petition the president.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
March 22, 2002

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Ajman TEFL Program Receives Accreditation

Ajman University of Science and Technology (AUST) recently announced it has received accreditation for its Bachelor's in Education and Basic Sciences Program from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The program specializes in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). Ajman University has five campuses, with 16,000 students enrolled.

— Gulf News
Feb. 08, 2002

Country's First Fine Arts Program Opens

The University of Sharjah officially launched its first fine arts program in January, making it the first institution in the country to provide higher education in the fine arts.

A university spokesman said students were admitted after passing the Test of English as a Foreign Language and placement tests that dealt with basics of painting, research skills and various other school requirements. The spokesman also said the university will introduce new fine arts courses in 2003, in addition to those it introduced in January.

— Gulf News
Jan. 27, 2002

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