Last year 870 students from 47 countries applied for seats in Iranian universities and centers of higher learning.(Photo by Sajad Safari)

Minister of science, research and technology, Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi said the government has finalized rules and regulations to further improve and facilitate the education and welfare of non-Iranian students in the country.
“We hope from September changes in the admission procedure and education of non-Iranian students will become more transparent,“ he told a graduation ceremony of the foreign students in Tehran this week.
Admission of foreign students on scholarship has increased by 10 percent and there are no limits on admitting foreign students who do not seek scholarship, Fars News Agency quoted him as saying.
The minister emphasized that the overseas students are good children of Iran.
“Iran never sees the guest students as non-Iranians, and these students are considered as children of Iran. Geography may create distances among us, but the emotional bonds, common cultural values, and the traditions these guest students accumulate and learn from us will indeed be permanent.“
He went on to add that “From the day God Almighty created mankind, the holy prophets always sought to promote cultural values and guide man toward the Creator. As graduates from this country, you should spread this message across the world.
Unity transcending geographical boundaries, seeking justice and benevolence are crucial needs of today. Students who converge here from different parts of the world can help fulfill this task effectively.“
Iran will always support its guest students, respect their values and beliefs and be in regular contact with them to the best of its ability, he stressed.

Partners in Success
The Islamic Republic ran and other Muslim states have strived over the past decade to catch up with major scientific developments on the international scene, he said, and noted that “It is a source of honor and glory for foreign graduates to share this success with us.“
He recommended the foreign students to safeguard their national identity, religious beliefs and traditions in today’s so-called globalized world where a group of countries seek to impose their values and priorities on other nations and peoples through a wide range of tactics including education, cultural interaction, economics, and if necessary, intimidation and use of force.
Addressing the same ceremony, Zahedi’s deputy for student affairs, Hassan Moslemi-Naeini said that the bylaws for admission of foreign students have been revised and better facilities will soon be made available to them.
Last year 870 students from 47 countries applied for seats in Iranian universities and centers of higher learning, he told the gathering.
“From among the total applicants, 440 students were admitted as scholars. We hope this year we will be able to take more students.“
The Sixth Commencement of Non-Iranian Students was held at the prestigious Sharif University of Technology in the presence of 320 students.

Get out of the way, road rage. Here comes desk rage.
Anger in the workplace--employees and employers who are grumpy, insulting, short-tempered or worse--is shockingly common and likely growing as Americans cope with woes of rising costs, job uncertainty or overwhelming debt, experts say, Reuters reported.
“It runs the gamut from just rudeness up to pretty extreme abusive behaviors,“ said Paul Spector, professor of industrial and organizational psychology at the University of South Florida. “The severe cases of fatal violence get a lot of press but in some ways this is more insidious because it affects millions of people.“
Nearly half of US workers in America report yelling and verbal abuse on the job, with roughly a quarter saying it has driven them to tears, research has shown.
Other research showed one-sixth of workers reported anger at work has led to property damage, while a tenth reported physical violence and fear their workplace might not be safe.
“It’s a total disaster,“ said Anna Maravelas, author of “How to Reduce Workplace Conflict and Stress.“ “Rudeness, impatience, people being angry--we used to do that kind of stuff at home but at work, we were professional. Now it’s almost becoming trendy to do it at work.
“It was something we did behind closed doors,“ she said. “Now people are losing their sense of embarrassment over it.“
Contemporary pressures such as rising fuel costs fan the flames, said John Challenger, head of Chicago’s Challenger, Gray & Christmas workplace consultants.
“People are coming to work after a long commute, sitting in traffic watching their discretionary income burn up. They’re ready for a fight or just really upset,“ he said.
Added to that, he said, are financially strapped workers having to cut back on paying for personal pastimes that might serve as an antidote to work pressures.

In an ongoing project that began last year to preserve the artifacts on Mount Nemrut, known for its huge statuary, the next steps will be to landscape the area, build a visitor’s center and restore the statues.
The Nemrut ruins are located near the Karadut village of Kahta district in the southeast of Turkey, 66 kilometers from AdÆyaman. At an altitude of 2,206 meters, the Commagene-era figures and constructions are known variously as the “eighth wonder of the world“ and “the throne of the gods.“
Associate Professor ¸ahin GŸ�han, a lecturer at the architecture department of Middle East Technical University (ODT†), told the Anatolia news agency that under the Commagene and Nemrut Preservation and Development Program--established under an agreement between ODT† and the Culture and Tourism Ministry--they will continue to work until 2010 on promoting and restoring the Nemrut ruins, included on the World Heritage List by the UNESCO.
He noted that their priority is to rearrange the area surrounding the Nemrut ruins and repair the cracks on the statues and other artifacts. “We have prepared a preliminary project for the landscaping work and our project was approved. The ministry will open a tender for the implementation of the projects,“ he said.