ATATÜRK'S WAR ON EDUCATION

The Great Leader Atatürk begins his Great Speech as follows: “I went to Samsun on the 19th of May, 1919. Situation and general view: The group of the Ottoman Empire was defeated in the General War (First World War), the Ottoman army was damaged on all sides, and a heavy ceasefire agreement was signed. During the long years of the Great War, the nation was tired and poor. Those who dragged the nation and the country into the General War, fearing for their own lives, fled the country. Weapons and ammunition have been taken from the army and are being taken. The Allies do not see the need to abide by the terms of the ceasefire agreement. Allied navies and soldiers are in Istanbul on one occasion. French to Adana; The British entered Urfa, Maraş and Antep. Italian troops in Antalya and Konya; There are British soldiers in Merzifon and Samsun. Officers and officials and private men of foreign states are working everywhere. On May 15, 1919, with the approval of the Allied Powers, the Greek army was landed in Izmir.” one

Our country was saved from these dark days with the great victory of the Turkish War of Independence, which was started on 19 May 1919 under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Pasha and ended with the enemy's spill into the sea on 9 September 1922.

However, a half-burned and devastated country in the hands of the Turkish nation, which has gone through three wars one after the other, such as the Balkan War (1912-1913), the First World War (1914-1918) and the War of Independence (1919-1922); A country that had lost most of its male workforce in wars, had very limited industrial activities and scarcely any financial resources remained. But the Turkish nation, under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Pasha, was in such a spiritual enthusiasm to challenge all the difficulties in the ideal, consciousness and determination of creating a new state.

At the end of the Great Military Victory, our Turkey was cleared of enemies and our independence was achieved, but a new army and a new breakthrough were needed in order to heal all our wounds and create a new and prosperous Turkey. Being aware of this, Atatürk told a crowd of teachers who came to Bursa from Istanbul to attend the Great Victory festivities on October 27, 1922: “The victory of our armies has prepared a lonely environment for the victory of you and your armies (National Education Army). You will win and maintain the true victory and you will surely succeed. Me and all my friends with unwavering faith will follow you and we will break the obstacles you will encounter”2, emphasizing that he trusts education and the training army as the greatest power in the creation of the new Turkey. With these words of Atatürk, Even at the beginning of the work, he was announcing to the relevant people that if a new Turkish society is to be created and our country is wanted to rise above modern civilizations, the only way out is education. Today, as a strong education army, we have a look at the general view of our Turkish education system in the first years of our Republic in order to better evaluate where our Turkish education system, which provides useful services to the development of the Turkish society, has come to today and to better understand the importance of the Great Leader Atatürk's great war in the field of education. throwing it away would be helpful.

“In 1920, the new Turkish state, 3.5 years after its establishment, when the Republic was proclaimed, went through 11 years of very heavy wars under unimaginably unfavorable, negative and terrible conditions; two-thirds of its territory became battlefields; burned, destroyed; It had lost three million of its population. The destruction of the wars was so terrible that teachers, physicians, pharmacists, nurses, health officials, engineers, lawyers, architects, artists, etc. professional men, high school graduates were almost gone. Moreover, mason, carpenter, blacksmith, shoemaker, tailor, blacksmith, driver, etc. even tradesmen. It became necessary to open special courses to train the driver and farrier needed by the army. There were no hospitals, no schools, no roads, no ports, no factories.” 3

The population of Turkey was approximately 11-12 million in the 1923-24 academic year following the 1923 year when the Republic was proclaimed. Only ten percent of this population and only three percent of the female population were literate. There were a total of 5062 educational institutions in Turkey, including 4894 primary schools, 72 common schools, 23 high schools, 64 vocational schools, 9 faculties and higher schools. The teachers and lecturers in these schools were 10238 in primary school, 796 in secondary school, 513 in high school, 64 in vocational technical education and 307 in higher education institutions, a total of 11918 people. The students consisted of a total of 358,548 students, 341.941 in primary schools, 5905 in secondary schools, 1241 in high schools, 6547 in vocational schools and 2914 in higher education.

In addition to these very low numerical features of education, the qualitative (in terms of quality) features of education do not show a very pleasant situation. Most of the teachers did not go through vocational formation and did not grow up learning the scientific methods of education and training. In order to meet the need for teachers, it has become a necessity for almost everyone with good literacy to be appointed as a teacher.

Curriculums have a structure that is far from responding to the needs of the day, either giving importance to religious education or only giving general culture. Curriculum based on skills and practice and aiming to develop behavior is not yet widely seen in the Turkish education system.

School buildings are not suitable for education, except for some of them located in Istanbul and a few large settlements. In particular, a large part of primary and secondary schools are trying to continue their education either in a big house or in makeshift buildings. Our schools are very poor in terms of course equipment. Teaching activities are carried out in a blackboard-based method based on rote learning. Apart from these, a central and provincial organization to deal with education has not been fully established yet. To summarize, when the Republic was proclaimed, the Turkish education system was in a state of complete ruin.

Despite all these impossibilities and difficulties, the Great Leader also started a very successful education war from the first day of the War of Independence and put into practice a macro education plan that he had created in his mind, giving a new shape to the Turkish education system, thus laying the foundations of the social and economic structure of our current Turkey. threw.

In the government program read on May 9, 1920, 16 days after the opening of the new Turkish Grand National Assembly on April 23, 1920, great importance was attached to education and it was stated that some basic education reforms would be made in the future and it was announced that due to the war, the existing educational institutions would be contented with that day. In this program, it was clearly stated which principles would be taken into account in our education system. 4

The basic principles still used in today's modern education, such as developing national consciousness, self-confidence, having entrepreneurial power and productive ideas, and developing programs suitable for our own structure, which were not very common in the programs prepared during the Ottoman State, were considered and included in the program at that time.

This example clearly shows that the education policy of the new Turkey is in the hands of a staff who understands modern education and understands the importance of education. As a matter of fact, on the days when our enemies came in front of Polatlı, when the cannons could almost be heard from Ankara, and very shortly before the Battle of Sakarya, on July 16, 1921, a Educational Congress was held in Ankara in order to determine the education policy of the New Turkey and to find a solution to the problems. The fact that ' is collected is another proof of this. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in his opening speech of the Education Congress, stated that the greatest efforts to heal the wounds in the state structure should be made in the field of education; the necessity of giving importance to studies and preparations in the field of education in order to raise the country to the desired level;

Great Atatürk successfully continued the education war he started with the Turkish War of Independence until his death. As it can be seen when an evaluation of the Great Leader's breakthrough in the field of education is made, incredible successes were achieved in the education war between 1923-1938, both in terms of numbers and quality. It is possible to summarize these developments as follows:

I. NUMERICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION IN THE TERM OF ATATURK

a) Between 1923 and 1938, the population of Turkey increased from 12,206,000 to 16,916,000, showing an increase of 38%. With investments and activities, it is aimed to serve large masses who could not benefit from education before.

b) The highest increase in primary education level is seen in female teachers with 352% and female students with 323%. These increases were achieved as a result of giving importance to the equality of men and women during the Atatürk period, encouraging the participation of Turkish women in business life, and meticulously monitoring the attendance of children between the ages of 7 and 11 by making primary education compulsory.

c) An indication of how much importance is given to education by both the state and society in the new Turkey is seen in the incredible increase in the number of students in secondary education. In order to close the qualified manpower gap needed in the country, importance was given to secondary education and the number of students in secondary schools increased by 1463% and the number of students in high schools increased by 2015, reaching a record level in our Republic period. In addition, while the newly opened schools showed an increase of 60% in primary education, an increase of 216% in secondary schools and 226% in high schools, new opportunities were created for those who want to complete their primary education and continue their secondary education.

d) The interest shown by parents and female students to girls' institutes (today's girls' vocational high schools) aiming to train modern Turkish women in terms of knowledge, skills and behavior has provided a 225% increase in the number of female students at the technical education level.

e) An increase of °/0111 was achieved in the number of faculties and colleges at the higher education level. While there were no female faculty members in our higher education institutions in 1923, the fact that 99 female faculty members served in these institutions in 1938 is very meaningful in terms of showing that Atatürk's efforts to modernize Turkish society were successful.

On the other hand, the fact that the number of male students in higher education institutions increased by 220% and the number of female students by 525% shows that the new Republic of Turkey is also successful in providing highly qualified manpower.

II. DEVELOPMENTS IN QUALITY IN EDUCATION IN THE ATATURK PERIOD

During the 1923-1938 Atatürk period, important developments and regulations in our education system in terms of quality formed the basis and main framework of our current education system. Atatürk, who has reformist and enterprising features, showed the same feature in the national education campaign and gave a new form to Turkish education in terms of quality in 15 years. The most important qualitative developments and changes in the Turkish education system during the Atatürk period are as follows:

a. With the adoption of the Law on Unification of Education on March 3, 1924, the duality of school and madrasah in our education system was eliminated and the Turkish education system was put under the control of the Ministry of National Education. As a result of this change, religious education in schools was terminated and the principle of secularism began to be implemented in education. Madrasahs were closed and educational institutions were reorganized according to modern education models. On the other hand, religious signs and signs in foreign schools in our country were removed and these schools were provided with education in accordance with the aims and objectives of the Turkish education system.

b. World-renowned educators were invited to Turkey to participate in the studies carried out to reshape the Turkish education system and to get their opinions. American educator John Dewey in 1924, German education professor Kühne 1925 and Belgian educator Ömer Buyse visited Turkey in 1926 and presented their opinions and suggestions about the Turkish education system to the Ministry of National Education.

c. In order to reorganize our national education system, the law on the organization of education was enacted on March 22, 1926, and with the Law on the Unification of Education, how and in what form all the education services given to the Ministry of National Education would be carried out were based on a principle. In addition, on 10 June 1933, the Ministry of National Education Central Organization was reorganized in accordance with modern organization principles by enacting the law numbered 2287, which determined the organs, duties, powers and responsibilities of the Central Organization of the Ministry of National Education.

D. New curricula prepared according to modern education views have been put into practice since 1926. First, the primary school curriculum was changed and the new curriculum was re-prepared in accordance with the principles of actuality, locality, vitality and appropriateness to the child; learning by observation, examination, research and learning by doing.

to. Secondary education, which was paid before, became free with the law no. 822 as of the 1926-27 academic year, and thus, the children of low-income families were encouraged to continue their secondary education.

f. Primary and secondary school teachers are bound to a principle by law and it has been determined that people with what qualifications can be teachers. With the law no. 842 adopted on 20 May 1926, primary school teachers were provided with professional security, and secondary school teachers were provided with the law no. 439 on 13 March 1924.

g. From 1926-1927, it was decided to conduct mixed education in secondary education schools, so that male and female students were educated together.

h. With the law numbered 1353 on the Acceptance and Application of New Turkish Letters on November 1, 1928, new Turkish letters from the Latin alphabet started to be used instead of the Arabic letters used in our education system until now. In addition, starting from the 1929-30 academic year, it was decided to abolish Arabic and Persian courses from schools and to teach French, English and German languages ​​instead.

I. In order to train the highly qualified manpower needed by our country, the law numbered 1416 on the students to be sent abroad on behalf of the state was accepted on April 10, 1929, and within the framework of this law, engineers in the technical fields and in the fields of foreign language, history, geography, mathematics, painting, music and physical education. Many students were sent to Germany, France and other European countries to be trained as teachers.

j. Many higher education institutions have been opened in order to improve higher education in our country. Ankara Faculty of Law (November 5, 1925), which will be one of the faculties of Ankara University in the future, Gazi Secondary Teachers School and Education Institute (1927) to train secondary teachers, Istanbul University (31 May 1933), which was founded in place of the Istanbul Darülfünun, later in Ankara. Higher Agricultural Institute (10 June 1933), which will form the Faculty of Agriculture, National Music and Representation Academy (today's State Conservatory) (25 June 1934), Faculty of Language, History and Geography (June 14, 1935) in Ankara, Mülkiye Mektebi (Faculty of Political Sciences) ) (1936), Faculty of Economics in Istanbul (February 7, 1937) and Faculty of Medicine in Ankara (June 9, 1937) are among our most important higher education institutions that started education during Atatürk's reign.

k. The Turkish Historical Society was established on April 12, 1931 and the Turkish Language Society was established on July 12, 1932, in order to conduct research on Turkish language and Turkish history and to carry out scientific studies on these issues.

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ATATÜRK'S WAR ON EDUCATION

It cannot be claimed that these achievements, which were realized in the education system of the Atatürk period and tried to be briefly explained under two headings above, were the product of a random study or various coincidences. It turns out that the rational, scientific and realistic approach seen in all of Atatürk's reforms was also the basis in the education war, and on this basis, the education model of the new Republic was developed and implemented within the framework of certain views and principles put forward by Atatürk.

Atatürk has a very solid, consistent and contemporary view of education, as it will be seen when the speeches and speeches that Atatürk gave at various times and his speeches and conversations are examined. In almost every speech about education, he put forward a principle of the Turkish education model to be applied in the new society and laid the cornerstones of the system. These educational principles, which are briefly explained under 10 main headings below, are derived from the synthesis of Atatürk's views and thoughts on education. These 10 education principles of Atatürk are the basic principles on which the modern education systems in the world are based.

I. The Most Important Development Force Is Education

The Great Leader Atatürk gave importance to education, was interested in educational issues, and showed love and respect to educators. He saw education as the most important power in the establishment of the new Turkey and bringing it to the level of modern civilization, and he explained at length what the government of the Republic did and wanted to do in the field of education in his various speeches and in the opening speeches of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey between 1923-1938.

In the speech he gave with teachers in Bursa on October 27, 1922, he said the following to indicate the importance he gave to education: “You see, our most important and prosperous duty is our national education works. We must certainly be victorious in educational affairs. The real salvation of a nation can only be achieved in this way. In order to achieve this victory, we need to work on an excellent training program with the unity of thought and power. These qualities are not enough to raise the society to a level that will meet the requirements of our age; In addition to these qualities, science and technique are necessary. The source of scientific and technical studies is the school. School is required for this. The school teaches young minds respect for humanity, love of nation and country, honor of independence. When our independence is in jeopardy, it dictates the best course of action appropriate to take to save it” 6.

One year after the proclamation of the Republic, he emphasized the importance of education in the speech he made to the teachers on his trip to Samsun and said: “I must say that the most important and fundamental point is the issue of education. ... It is education that keeps a nation alive as a free, independent, glorious, superior society, and it is the one that causes slavery and poverty.

One of the best examples of how much importance Atatürk attached to education is that he convened the First Educational Congress in Ankara between 16-21 July 1921 in order to determine the methods and principles to be followed in our education policy during the most difficult days of our War of Independence. On the one hand, the Great Leader was trying to shape the education model of the new Turkish State to be established, while confronting the external enemies by enduring all kinds of poverty.

The Great Leader, who always believed that education was the most important job of the state, was very meticulous in choosing the Ministers of National Education of his time and tried to choose dynamic, enterprising people who could carry out the education campaign. According to him, conducting educational affairs is the most sacred and most important duty of the country. As a matter of fact, when a journalist asked at the end of the War of Independence: “—here you saved the country, what do you want to do now”, the Great Leader replied: “—As the Deputy of Education, it is my greatest ambition to try to raise national wisdom” and that the country attaches the greatest importance to education issues. has emphasized. However, in order to carry out the educational activities that the new Turkey attaches great importance to, the support of an army of enlightened, innovative teachers who believe in the new Republic and Atatürk is needed.

In his opening speech at the 1st Education Congress convened in Ankara between 16-21 July 1921, he explained his thoughts on teachers as follows: I would like to point out. I have no doubt that the great Turkish teachers, who have undertaken the sacred duty of educating our nation, will take into account the current situation and will walk on this path without hesitation, facing all difficulties. Your mission is very important and vital.” 8 In the speech he gave on October 27, 1922 in Bursa, he said with great sincerity: “I wish I was a child, a young man, to be in your radiant classes. Let me take inspiration from you, you can raise me.

At the Teachers' Union Congress convened in Ankara on August 25, 1924: “You will raise the new generation, devoted teachers and educators of the Republic, the new generation will be your work. The value of the work will be proportional to the degree of your skill and sacrifice. The Republic demands strong and high character protectors in terms of thought, knowledge, science and body. It is in your hands to raise the new generation with these qualities and abilities.”10 He emphasized once again that teachers are the most reliable factor in the creation of the new Republic of Turkey and securing its future. As a matter of fact, the teaching profession in the Atatürk period experienced its golden age in terms of both social level and monetary terms in the society.

2. Our Education Should Be National

Atatürk emphasized the importance of abandoning traditional education models and developing a contemporary education model in the reorganization of education, which he believed to be the most important factor in the creation of a new society and the establishment of a new state, and wanted this model to be far from foreign ideas and influences and to be compatible with our national values. In his opening speech at the Education Congress convened in Ankara on July 16, 1921: “I believe that the education and training methods followed until today are the most important factor in the decline of our nation. That's why, when talking about a national education program, he is completely away from the superstitions of the old era, foreign ideas that have nothing to do with our social structure, and all the influences that can come from the east and the west. By saying “I mean a culture compatible with our national characteristics and our history”11, in the new education system, it is important to teach our children and young people the need to fight against all foreign elements that contradict their own existence, rights and unity, and to develop an understanding that will defend our national values ​​with violence and self-sacrifice against contrary ideas. requested to be provided. In his opening speech to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on March 1, 1922, he emphasized the need to raise the awareness of our youth to fight against all entities that are hostile to Turkey's future, their own identity and national traditions, at all levels of education, from primary education to university. 12 He wanted them to be taught the necessity of fighting against all foreign elements that contradicted their unity and to develop an understanding that would defend our national values ​​with violence and self-sacrifice against contrary ideas. In his opening speech to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on March 1, 1922, he emphasized the need to raise the awareness of our youth to fight against all entities that are hostile to Turkey's future, their own identity and national traditions, at all levels of education, from primary education to university. 12 He wanted them to be taught the necessity of fighting against all foreign elements that contradicted their unity and to develop an understanding that would defend our national values ​​with violence and self-sacrifice against contrary ideas. In his opening speech to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on March 1, 1922, he emphasized the need to raise the awareness of our youth to fight against all entities that are hostile to Turkey's future, their own identity and national traditions, at all levels of education, from primary education to university. 12 In his opening speech to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on March 1, 1922, he emphasized the need to raise the awareness of our youth to fight against all entities that are hostile to Turkey's future, their own identity and national traditions, at all levels of education, from primary education to university. 12 In his opening speech to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on March 1, 1922, he emphasized the need to raise the awareness of our youth to fight against all entities that are hostile to Turkey's future, their own identity and national traditions, at all levels of education, from primary education to university. 12

Education has different definitions for everyone, and everyone deduces a meaning from the word education in accordance with their own understanding and purpose. It is natural that the understanding of education of a person brought up in Western culture is different from the understanding of education of a person who has adopted the mystical belief of the East. So, what kind of education will the education of our new society be; eastern model or western model? Atatürk explains his views on this subject as follows: “Gentlemen! The governments that have ruled our nation for centuries have made efforts to improve our education. However, our nation could not get rid of ignorance because they could not get rid of imitating the east and the west in order to achieve these goals.

The Great Leader will clarify this problem in his speech on 22.9.1924 in Samsun: “I will not dwell on the others, after stating that the education that the new Turkish Republic will give to new generations is national education, I will explain what I mean with a short example: Masters. ! There are over three hundred million Muslims in the world. They receive education and upbringing with the education of their parents and teachers. But I'm sorry to say, the truth of the matter is that all these millions of people are slaves to this or that. The religious education and upbringing they received did not and cannot give them the values ​​of humanity that could break the chains of slavery. Because the target of their education is not a national education.” 13

In that case, the education model we will develop will be an education system for us, it will neither imitate the west nor the east. For this reason, in order for our education to be fully national, it is essential to nationalize the language, method and educational tools to be used in education. Believing this view, Atatürk modernized our education system with the Law of Unification of Education (Unification of Education) put into effect on March 3, 1924. By establishing the Turkish Language Institution on 12 July 1932, he succeeded in completing the practices of nationality in method, nationality in language and nationality in equipment by nationalizing our language.

3. Our Education Should Be Scientific

At every opportunity, Atatürk has very clearly revealed what the method to be followed in the creation of the new Turkish society will be. “The truest guide in life; This idea, which he immortalized with the phrase "science is science", is one of the cornerstones of Atatürk's ideology. In all the reforms and rearrangements made, the principle of being scientific was followed, and the path ordered by science was followed in the decisions taken and the changes made. He specifically requested and even ordered that the same principle be followed in the field of education, which is seen as the most important driving force in reshaping the society, and that the path shown by science and science should not be deviated. With this attitude, Atatürk was able to bravely break down the obstacles that prevented Turkey from becoming a modern state, He is a leader who clearly sees that the only way to salvation is to pass to the age of reason and science, and reveals this fact with full clarity. 14

As he stated in his famous speech on October 27, 1922 in Bursa: “The path of science and science will also be followed in the establishment of our schools and universities, which are the main resources for raising our nation. In addition, our guide in the political and social life and intellectual education of our nation will be science and science. Thanks to the school, with the help of science and science that the school will give, the Turkish nation, Turkish art, Turkish poetry and literature, and economy will develop with all their beauties. ... If we want to do these things, we cannot close our eyes and pretend that we live alone in this world. We cannot enclose our country in a circle and live without relation to the world. On the contrary, as a developed and elevated nation, we will live above the level of civilization. And this will only happen with science and science. We will take science and science from wherever it is and put it in the minds of every citizen. There are no limits and conditions for science and technology.” 15

Atatürk, who believed that in the studies to be carried out should not be adhered to dogmas, beliefs and stereotyped principles devoid of any scientific basis, and that science means continuous development, he explained these views in his speech in Samsun on 22.9.1924: “For everything in the world, for civilization. The truest guide for life, success, is science. Seeking a guide outside of science and science is heedlessness, ignorance and deviation from the path. Of course, attempting to apply the principles and rules related to science and technique a thousand, two thousand, and thousands of years ago, exactly a thousand years later, is of course not being a part of science and technique.” 16

Before all the education reforms and the most important decisions about education made in the Atatürk period, a scientific preliminary study was made, the opinions of local and foreign experts were taken, similar studies in other countries were followed, and only after all these, a change was made in the system. Adoption of the Law on Unification of Education (Tevhid-i Tedrisat), acceptance of new letters and opening of public schools, university reform, teacher training, implementation of the Law on the National Education Organization, Law No. 1416 on students to be sent abroad, the start of coeducation, Turkish History All of the important reforms such as the Turkish Language Institution and the establishment of the Turkish Language Institution are activities carried out with a scientific approach.

4. Our Education Should Be Practical

Atatürk, who knows very well that outdated education, which envisages memorizing certain information rather than improving behavior and skills, cannot provide any benefit in the dynamic structure of young Turkey, wanted our education to adopt a teaching method that is focused on work and production and includes practice. In his opening speech to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on March 1, 1922, he said: “The main rule of education and training should be to follow a practical method in giving the necessary preliminary information to make the children of the country effective and productive in social and economic fields. It is absolutely necessary to comply with the principle of basing education and administration on practice in secondary education as well”17 and in the speech he gave to the teachers in Bursa in the same year: “While eliminating widespread ignorance, on the other hand, it is necessary to raise constructive, effective and productive people in social life. This is primary and secondary education, It can be realized by relying on the principle of applied learning” 18 and he wanted the applied teaching method to be used in education. In addition, he mentioned the same issue in his opening speech to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on March 1, 1923 and said: “The aim of the method to be applied in education and training is to use knowledge as a practical and usable tool that ensures success in life rather than an unnecessary ornament, a tool of pressure or a civilized pleasure. is to make it. Our Ministry of National Education attaches importance to this principle. For a practical and non-formal education, it is necessary to establish modern libraries, gardens containing various plants and animals, conservatories, workshops, museums and exhibition halls in the important centers of the country.

Believing that an education program that can contribute to the economic power of the country can definitely be realized with applied education, Atatürk declared in his opening speech at the Izmir Economics Congress on February 17, 1923 that all education programs should be prepared in the light of the economic program and said: let them be productive in agriculture, art and all related activities. For this reason, our curriculum must be prepared according to this view, both in primary and secondary education," and he ordered that educational activities should be done practically.

5. Our Education Must Be Realistic

Realism is one of the most important elements of Atatürk's ideology. Atatürk, who adopted the principle of turning away from the fatalistic approach of the religion of Islam and returning to realism, was never a dreamer and was not interested in utopian ideas that could not be implemented. While making many political, military, economic and social decisions, he tried to see the world not in his own way, but with all its realities.

He did not prefer an imaginative approach in education, too, and tried to apply and enforce realism in all areas of education. In his speech in Samsun on September 22, 1924, he emphasized that teachers should raise the new generation they teach and train in a way that will help them fill with the light of truth and provide this. For this reason, he wanted the young minds to be developed and raised through national education activities not to be filled with corrosive, drugs and unreal and useless information. In the same speech, he emphasized that it is inevitable for our education system to give a teaching that is in line with reason, logic and truth, saying: “The young generation's brain, which is suitable for taking everything and digesting it easily, without worrying about it, should be decorated with the traces of the truth”20.

6. Unity Should Be Established in Our Education and Our Education Should Be Secular

Because Atatürk believed that the social integration of the new Turkey would only be possible with educational integration, he wanted to establish a teaching union that would provide integrity in the system by eliminating the school-madrasah dilemma seen in our education system of that day.

This was necessary so that education could be brought under the control and supervision of the state as a whole and modernized by freeing it from the influence of religious education. As a matter of fact, the subject of unity in education is implicitly touched upon in our program for the first executive deputies, which was prepared in the days when the Turkish Grand National Assembly was first convened and read in the Assembly on May 9, 1920: would be appropriately reorganized”. In his opening speech to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on March 1, 1923, Atatürk said: “Unity in education and training is very important for the development and continuation of our society. For this reason, it is worthy of hope that the Seriye Ministry and the Ministry of Education collaborate on this issue”21. While opening the new meeting year on March 1, 1924, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey states that it is time to ensure unity in education and says: “We see the need to implement the principle of unification of education and training, which has been accepted by the public, without losing a moment. The harms of the delay that will occur on this road and the serious and great benefits of acting quickly on this road require us to make a decision on this matter as soon as possible”22 and wanted this important change to be made immediately. Two days after this speech, the Ministry of Religious Affairs was abolished with the Law No. 429, all educational institutions in Turkey were connected to the Ministry of National Education with the Law No. 430 on Unification of Education (Teaching Union), and the Caliphate was abolished with the Law No. 431. After the adoption of the Teaching Union Law, Atatürk said in a speech: “Could the Turkish nation, which wants to gain prestige before civilized nations, still bear to hand over the education it will give to its children to two completely different institutions, the school and the madrasa? He emphasized that this change was inevitable by saying, "Wouldn't it be futile to seek the opportunity to build a nation consisting of individuals with the same mindset, unless we combine education and training"23.

With the adoption of the Education Union Law, religious education was abolished in our schools, secular education was started, madrasahs were closed, and all Turkish children living in Turkey who were at the age of compulsory education were obliged to attend primary schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education.

With the implementation of the Teaching Union Law, which can be called the most important educational reform carried out by Atatürk, foreign and minority schools in our country also came under the control of the state, and many foreign schools that did not comply with the principles set by the Ministry of National Education were closed.24 On the other hand, in the middle sections of foreign and minority schools. The compulsory teaching of Turkish, Turkish history and geography and the fact that no teaching activities against Turkishness and Turkey were allowed in these schools, and that these educational institutions, which acted as a state within the state during the Ottoman Empire, were fully under the control of the Ministry of National Education. is one of the most important achievements.

7. Our Education must be Mixed

Starting from the family is accepted as the most effective method in shaping societies. In the family, the influence of the mother on the education of the children is stronger than the father. As can be seen when Western cultures are examined, societies with well-educated women have a more robust appearance in terms of their social structure. Knowing very well the role of Turkish women in reshaping the new Turkish society, Atatürk gave a special importance to women's education in our education system. According to Atatürk: “If a society does not march towards the same goal with all its men and women, there is no scientific possibility and possibility for that society to progress.” 25 “If we want to develop society, we have a safer and more effective path to follow. He also wanted to make the great Turkish woman a partner in our work, to lead our lives with her, to encourage Turkish women scientifically, socially, It is a way of making men a partner, friend, helper and protector in economic life.”26 “For a society to be successful in life, it must have all the reasons and conditions required to be successful. For this reason, if science and technology are necessary for the new Turkish Republic, it is imperative that both our men and women learn them equally. Because our religion has never wanted women to be behind men. What Allah commands is for Muslim men and women to gain knowledge and wisdom together. In Turkish society, women did not lag behind men in terms of wisdom and other issues. Maybe they went further.” 27 “Then, in the Turkish education system, “our boys and girls should be provided with equal education and training at all levels of education.” 28 Atatürk expressed his thoughts on this subject, He explained in his historical speech in Kastamonu on 30 August 1925 and clearly and distinctly stated that co-education should be one of the basic principles of the Turkish education system: “A social community, a nation, consists of two types of people, namely men and women. Is it possible for us to develop a part of a mass and tolerate the other so that the whole of the mass can be advanced. Is it possible that while half of a human community is chained to the land, the other half can rise to the sky. There is no doubt, as I said, the steps of development should be taken by the two sexes together in a friendly manner and a definite attitude should be taken together in the field of development and innovation. Only if this happens, the revolution will be successful.” Thus, for the first time in Turkish history, co-education has entered the Turkish education system as a principle and settled. As a matter of fact, as a result of the Great Leader's determined attitude towards coeducation, III. In the light of the decisions taken by the Heyet-i İlmiye in 1926, in the 1927-1928 academic year, 23 of 71 secondary schools immediately started mixed education.

This principle, which Atatürk put into the Turkish education system, was successfully implemented until his death, and there was a great increase in the number of female students in both primary and secondary education and higher education.

8. Our Education Must Be Modern But Diverse

Believing that the education model to be applied in order to create the new Turkish society should have the qualifications to meet contemporary needs and adapt to modern life, Atatürk explained his views on the features of the curriculum to be implemented in our schools in the speech he delivered in Bursa in 1922: Its points are two: 1. It meets the needs of our social life; 2. It is suitable for modern life.” 30

However, according to Atatürk's view of education, the following point should also be taken into account: “No matter what age a student is, they should be regarded and treated as the elders of the future. However, it is essential to do all these in a great order, in a discipline without causing confusion and disorder.”31

Knowing that discipline is very important in education, Atatürk said: “As in every field of life, discipline is the basis of success, especially in education and training. By saying that the principals and teachers have to provide discipline and the students have to comply with it”32, he clearly revealed that the aim of modern education is not to leave the child free enough to do whatever he/she wants, on the contrary, certain behaviors should be taught to children within a discipline.

9. Equal Opportunity Should Be Provided in Our Education

It has been one of the main goals of democratic regimes to make every part of the society benefit from education services by providing equality of opportunity in education. The great statesman Atatürk believed that the new Turkish society would reach the level of contemporary civilizations only with an education system that would allow each individual to develop their abilities. Learning to read and write and being educated should not be the right of only one group or class, but every individual from the west to the east, from the city to the village, including women, men, farmers, porters, should receive their share of education. 33

For this, everyone had to be literate and primary education had to be made compulsory. In addition, parents should not hesitate to send their daughters to school and an education system should be established that will enable everyone to learn an art at school and become a producer and artist. 34 A primary school should definitely be opened in every village and every settlement center, and boarding primary schools should be opened and expanded in order to provide primary education services to our children in places where primary schools are not opened. Atatürk explained his views on this subject in his opening speech to the Turkish Grand National Assembly on March 1, 1933: “One of the institutions that primary education needs is boarding primary schools. Recent reviews and observations of the government have shown that there is a general desire for boarding schools everywhere. Gathering the little offspring of several provinces in one place is unity in education, The positive effect it will have on patriotism and brotherhood is obvious. For this reason, our Ministry of National Education will support the opening of these schools with all its means.” 35“

If we want to increase our existence as the most civilized and richest nation, beyond literacy, to train the technical staff required by the great development war and new roof of the country; to create people and institutions that will understand and explain the basic ideas on which the issues of the country are based, and transfer them from generation to generation; Providing these important foundations as soon as possible is a big and heavy duty of the Ministry of Culture. Considering our country as three major cultural regions for the time being, to bring a truly modern university to the Republic by implementing the reorganization program started at Istanbul University in a more radical way for the western region; for the central region, It is necessary to establish Ankara University in a short time and an attempt should be made in advance to create a modern cultural city with primary schools and universities from all branches in the most beautiful place on the shores of Lake Van for the eastern region.” 36 Some of the works planned by Atatürk to ensure equality of opportunity in education could not be realized during his lifetime and Ankara University was only able to operate as a university in 1946, while Van University was established in 1981, 43 years after the death of the great Ata.

10. Public Education should be given importance in our education system

At the beginning of his great cause, Atatürk knew that relying on the people was the only way out, and that a movement that the people did not support and embraced could not succeed. This is the basis of his populist principle. In that case, in order for the people to consciously own the problems of the society, it is necessary to educate and raise the level of education. Believing in the necessity of this, Atatürk gave great importance to the education of the people so that the Republic could be established and rooted, and made every effort to expand the public education.

In his opening speech in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on March 1, 1922, he stated the importance of educating the people as follows: “The basis of the national education policy we will follow is to eliminate the ignorance we live in first. Avoiding going into details, I can say to explain this thought in a few words, in general, to teach all the villagers to read, write and the four operations, and to give them enough knowledge of geography, history, religion and ethics to introduce their homeland, nation, religion and world is the first goal of our national education program. 37

At that time, 85% of the people lived in rural areas and had not even been able to reach primary education until that day, and according to the 1923 estimates, ignorance had to be eradicated in a society where 91% of them were illiterate. Atatürk in his speech in Bursa on October 27, 1922; “Teacher Ladies, Teacher Gentlemen! In order for all these facts to be well understood and adopted by the nation, first of all, it is necessary to eliminate ignorance. For this reason, the cornerstone of our education program and education policy is the eradication of ignorance.”38 He pointed to the problem and gave the first signs of future education reforms.

IV. In the program of the Executive Deputies Committee, it is stated that the education and training of the state is the priority of the children, and the second is the education and training of the people. was announced to be distributed.

With the adoption of the new Turkish letters, which is accepted as the most fundamental education reform carried out by Atatürk, by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on November 1, 1928, the studies on public education spread all over Turkey and the country gained the appearance of a large school. Nation Schools were opened everywhere in order to teach the people new letters and reading and writing, and he assumed the General Presidency and Head Teachership of the Atatürk Nation Schools Organization. He said how important this activity was in the speech he made in the Turkish Grand National Assembly on the day the new letters were accepted: “Gentlemen! With the acceptance of Turkish letters, an important task falls to all of us, to adult children of this country who love the whole country of this country. This duty is to directly serve and assist our nation's willingness and love to read and write as a whole. We should all be eager to teach every illiterate man, woman and citizen we come across in our private and public lives”39 and assigned all literate citizens to the battle for the eradication of ignorance. In order to maintain public education as a continuous activity, Public Reading Rooms started to be opened in 1930 and the number of these rooms reached 4500. Knowing that teaching people how to read and write alone would not be enough, Atatürk expressed that the people should be equipped with useful knowledge and skills in his opening speech at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on March 1, 1923: “...to organize scientific meetings and conferences in the centers, opening night classes that will give them the most necessary information by having them read in the easiest way, Writing articles in the media in their region, especially on topics related to general education and public knowledge, will be the homework that the teachers working there will fulfill without delay.” 40 As a result of Atatürk's efforts in both formal and non-formal education, the literacy rate, which was 9% in 1923, rose to 21.6% in 1938, and schools in all segments of our society began to offer services to adults.

Even though these victories won by Atatürk, the savior of Turkey, in the war on education, and these basic principles that he put in the planning and management of our education, were tried to be continued by the governments of the time after his death, we could never reach the speed and enthusiasm of Atatürk's period, which we can describe as the golden age of developments in the Turkish education system. has not been possible.

1 Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Speech, c. I, National Education Printing House, Istanbul 1973.

2 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. II, p. 46.

3 Rauf Inan, Ataturk and Education, Turkish Education Association Publications, 1981, p. 144.

4 Reşat Özalp-Aydoğan Ataünal, Organization Organization in the Turkish National Education System, National Education Printing House, Istanbul 1977, p. 30.

5 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. II., p. 16-18.

6 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. II, p. 43-44-

7 ibid, p. 200.

8 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. II., p. 17-18.

9 ibid, p. 42.

10 ibid, p. 174.

11 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. II, p. 16-17.

12 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. Work. 224.

13 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. II, p. 200-201.

14 Turhan Feyzioğlu, Atatürk Road, Otomarsan Cultural Publication, 1981, p. 29.

15 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. II, p. 43.

16 ibid, p. 197.

17 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. Work. 224.

18 ibid., c. II, p. 45.

19 ibid., c. Work. 288.

20 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. II, 111, 201.

21 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. Work. 290.

22 ibid, p. 317.

23 Atatürk, 100 Basic Works, Istanbul 1970, p. 217.

24 Atatürk's National Education Policy, General Staff Military History and Strategic Studies Publications, 1980, p.60 63

25 Akil Aksan, Ataturk Says, Ministry of Culture Publications, 1981, p. 60.

26 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. II, p. 151.

27 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. II., p. 84-85.

28 ibid, p. 174.

29 Mine Tan, Atatürk Revolutions and Education Symposium, Ankara University Faculty of Education Publications, No: 92, p. 45-57.

30 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. II, p. 44.

31 Enver Ziya Karal, Thoughts from Atatürk, 1981, p. 83.

32 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. Work. 328.

33 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. II, p. 255.

34 ibid, p. 174.

35 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. Work. 288-289.

36 ibid, p. 386.

37 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. Work. 223.

38 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. II, p. 45.

39 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. Work. 346.

40 Atatürk's Speeches and Statements, c. Work. 288

Assoc. Dr. Galip Karagozoglu

Source: ATATÜRK ARAŞTIRMA MERKEZİ DERGİSİ, Sayı 4, Cilt: II, Kasım 1985