مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - “Aşiyan Schools” as a Private School Initiative in Istanbul

Abstract :

Education was attempted to be shaped in a central structure in the Ottoman Empire with the establishment of the Ministry of Education in 1857. In this way, a new impetus was gained in the modernization movement in education. In most parts of the country, some schools which would provide education in a new way were built in this process. First of all, Muslim private schools opened after 1873 emerged because the schools established in the western style could not meet the need and there was a public interest in the schools of the western style. The purpose of this research was to examine the establishment purpose, student admission criteria and the curricula of Aşiyan Schools which were an example for Muslim private schools that Ahmet Cevdet Bey, an entrepreneur devoted himself to education, opened in Istanbul and aimed at diffusing them across the country over time. Primary data in the research comprised the documents obtained from the archive study conducted at Republic of Turkey Prime Ministry General Directorate of State Archives Department of Ottoman Archives. There is comprehensive information about the reason behind the establishment of Aşiyan Schools, the courses provided, admission criteria etc. in the documents accessed in archives of the Education Fund. The review of the archives revealed that Aşiyan Schools were firstly opened in the academic year of 1919-1920 in Fazlı Paşa, and then the second branch of the schools was opened in Kadıköy. Aşiyan Schools were initially opened as high schools containing within themselves primary and middle classes. The curricula of the Galatasaray Imperial High School were used, and some courses were offered in French. Aşiyan Schools functioned for some time; however, they were closed due to harsh economic conditions of the period like many other private schools in Istanbul.