Expectations and problems of Amasya case imam hatip high school students

Imam Hatip Schools, established by Article 4 of the Law on Tevhid i Tedrisat Law in order to meet the clergy needs of the country with the closure of madrasahs in 1924, showed an existence struggle from the first day until today. Imam Hatip high schools have displayed a noble stance against the many obstacles put forward since the foundation date and have brought vitality to the religious, social, cultural and intellectual life of Turkey within the education system. The educational model of the Imam Hatip high schools has been an example of estab-lishing similar educational institutions in many countries. In addition to this, by establishing schools consisting of guest students from different countries, it has undertaken a universal duty by educating well educated human models both religiously and culturally. This study aims to examine the process of Imam Hatip High Schools, which have an important place in Turkish National Education System, since the beginning of the Republic of Turkey and to identify the expectations and problems of the students studying in these schools. The study was carried out on the students of Bülbül Hatun Girls Anatolian Imam Hatip High School and Şehit Ahmet Özsoy Anatolian Imam Hatip High School in Amasya. The historical process of Imam-Hatip High Schools was examined by a literature search. The questionnaire form developed to determine the expectations and problems of the students was applied to 340 students. The data were analyzed by using SPSS Statistics program. The study was supported by interviews with the students and direct observation in addition to the survey data. The results and recommendations related to the expectations and problems obtained are presented at the end of the study.