ANKARA - The Higher Education Board (YOK) law which was approved by the Parliamentary General Assembly early on Thursday at the end of debates that lasted 18 hours was sent to the Presidential Palace late on the same day.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has a 15-day period for examining the law. During this period, the President can either approve the law or send the whole law or a part of it back to the parliament for rediscussion.
If the parliament approves the vetoed law without making any change to it, the President has to approve it within 15 days. However, the President can apply to the Constitutional Court saying that he believes the law contradicts the Constitution.
The YOK law paves the way for easier university administration for imam hatip (schools for education of Islamic clerics) graduates and removes the current 22 members of the YOK and replaces them with a 16-member board.
Earlier, the bill was criticized for the amendments it made to the university entrance examination by favoring imam hatip graduates.
The General Staff released a statement criticizing the bill for being against scientific principles and for violating the secularist principles of the Republic. Academicians from various universities held rallies against the bill.
(MS) 13.05.2004