The establishment and operation of teacher training schools in Ottoman Empire

Teacher training schools? established to raise teachers in the process of thereforms conducted to model the western world in Ottoman Empire, is the subject of thisthesis.There was no specific program or institution of the state to raise teacher beforethe establishment of ?Teacher Training Schools?. Education and schooling wascompletely under the control of foundations and medrese (Muslim theological school,madrasah). When the government had started to apply the renewals in the educationinstitutions in scope of the westernization efforts, it primarily recognized the reality toraise teachers with new education methods. For this goal, first of all, Dârülmuallimûn-iRüşdû (a Teacher Training School for secondary education) was established to raiseteachers with new educational techniques in 1848. Ahmet Cevdet Pasha, as one of thefirst administrators of this school, had tried to provide quality and discipline in theeducation environment, and laid the foundations of the school.After establishing Dârülmuallimûn-i Rüşdû to raise teacher for secondaryschools, Dârülmuallimûn-i Sıbyan was established to raise teachers for the school whichwe may call primary schools, in 1868. The foundation of this school was made later,because the education in this level was performed in neighborhood schools under thecontrol of hodjas (Muslim preacher). Since the modernist administrators of that time didnot want to be against such a population, they decided to open schools for very fewnumbered teachers to work in secondary schools at first.By the Education Regulation (Maarif Nizamnamesi) in 1869, a new regulationcame into force on Teacher training, and the foundation of broader Teacher TrainingSchool was planned to combine previously established Teacher Training Schools. Thisschool planned to be established in three departments as Rusdi (secondary schoolequivalent), Idadi (High school equivalent), and Sultani (High School Equivalent), andin two classes as Science and Literature, was, however, established with the addition ofIdadi department to Sıbyan (primary school equivalent) and Rusdiye departments in1874. Girl Teacher Training School (Dârülmuallimât), planned to raise teacher for theschools at primary and secondary schools by the same regulation, was opened in 1870.The opening of this school to raise ?woman teachers? was especially important toindicate the importance considered for the education of girls in that time.These teacher training schools tried to be opened for the necessities of the agehave very important place in training teachers in the Turkish Education History. Theseschools which were ordered to the Instructions and Regulations unique for them till thebeginnings of 20th century, training the educators and education administrators ofRepublic period are important institutions remained from Ottomans to the Republic. Atthe beginning of 1900s, the number of training schools, also established in Anatoliaafter Istanbul, had reached 30. As for Woman Teacher Training Schools, they werestarted to be established in Anatolia after 1910s.By the Teacher Training Schools, teaching became a profession in OttomanEmpire, and the graduates of these schools had privileges to be assigned to the schools.The students of the Teacher Training Schools, were granted with a certain amount ofscholarship, and obligated to serve after their graduation. As for the assignment of thegirl teachers of Women Training Schools by the state, it is also a striking matter forindicating the state?s efforts to allow women to work in that time.