Primary Education During İnönü’s Presidency
Written By: Mustafa Aydoğan*/ Mustafa Gazalcı**
“I consider primary education a measure which will advance and elevate masses in the material and moral realms. Primary education is the first problem we need to solve in order to be an advanced and powerful nation of the 20th century. Demonstrating the prosperity of free citizenship in private and official lives, and facing up to domestic and foreign storms as an independent and conscious nation necessitates, above all, the completion of at least primary education. In a country where primary education does not exist,medieval administration continues in all its forms. Whatever the official law says and whatever rights the citizens are given, without the knowledge of at least primary education level, the rights and obligations do not come alive nor do they permeate and setle down in the hearts. In the hands of political and economic power holders, the illiterate live like the slaves of the middle ages. What is tragic is the fact that the illiterate is insensitive and indifferent to his fallen and captive life. Primary education is the main remedy towards being a nation composed of free citizens. We need to see the cause in such a wide and deep context. The primary education cause is that of being human, being a nation. We all need to advance in this cause with this understanding.”
(Radio Speech, Ulus Newspaper, April 17, 1945)
The issue of primary education was the most important area of interest for İsmet İnönü during the time he was in official life. In a 16- page article which he prepared in 1946 titled “Primary Education Issue in the Elections” , he indicated his interest as follows: “…the issue of primary education requirement has been a topic implanted in my mind since I entered the army as a 22-year- old young officer. Therefore I have dealt with this problem since the day I was first Prime Minister.”
According to İnönü, “ Primary education is the foundation for all social and national developments.” (2)
THE FIRST YEARS OF THE REPUBLIC
In the years of İnönü’s Prime Ministry, deep rooted educational innovations were made during the terms of the following Ministers of Education: İsmail Safa Özler (1922), Vasıf Çınar (1925), Mustafa Necat (1925), Dr. Reşit Galip (1932), Saffet Arıkan (1935). World famous experts such as John Dewey and Omar Buyse were invited and reports were prepared.
Some of these important steps that influenced primary education and all areas of education were:
The enactment of Unification of Education Law ( Tevhid-i Tedrisat) on March 3, 1924.
The reorganisation of primary education program with contemporary and scientific understanding in 1926.
The acceptance of the new alphabet on November1, 1926.
The opening of National Schools that teach reading and writing on January 1, 1929.
The opening of Community Centers (Halkevleri) on February 29, 1932.
However, these were not enough to solve the problems accumulated through centuries and could not close the gaps in the field of primary education.
In the speech he made in the CHP group meeting on March 13, 1934, Prime Minister İsmet İnönü opened up for discussion, the problems in primary education:
1) Teacher salaries were not paid regularly.
2) The number of students enrolling in primary schools was diminishing and very few received diplomas on time.
3) Only one third of the required number attended primary school, the remaining two thirds were unable to attend.
In the 1933-34 school year, when he made this speech and maintained the necessity for solving these problems without losing more tlme, the situation was as follows:
|
No. of Primary Schools
|
No. of Teachers
|
No. of Students
|
||||||
|
Village
|
City
|
Total
|
Village
|
City
|
Total
|
Village
|
City
|
Total
|
|
4994
|
1341
|
6335
|
6786
|
7962
|
14748
|
313169
|
270237
|
583406
|
In 1934, 80% of the population lived in the villages. Only 15% of the villages had schools. Moreover, almost all of these schools had three classes. The number of schools that trained primary school teachers in that school year was 13.
According to the 1935 census, in Turkey, 23.3% of the male population and 8.2% of the female population were literate, 76.7% of the men and 91.8% of the women were illiterate.
Moreover, the problem was not just teaching how to read and write, nor was it just building schools in the villages. The objective was to increase the production of the villagers, to eliminate the factors that would be dangerous for health in the village, to raise the standard of living for the villagers. Classic instruction such as reading, writing, mathematics,and civics could only be vehicles for the realisation of this vital aim. The party and government which was aware of this fact, stepped into action.
In the 4th Ordinary Congress of CHP , held in 1935, it was decided to “extend and develop Primary Education.” İsmail Hakkı Tonguç was assigned to the General Directorate of Primary Education.
As a temporary solution to the education problem of underpopulated villages, courses were opened in 1936 to train village teachers. Young villagers who had done their military services as corporals or sergeants were given intensive courses of 6-7 months and then sent to villages as teachers. For large villages, village teacher training schools began to be opened in 1937. These schools would later be called village institutes.
THE PRESIDENCY PERIOD:
A month and a half after İnönü was elected as President, Hasan Ali Yücel was made the Minister of Education. İnönü received him on the first day and asked him to continue the village teacher courses and to speed up the primary education affairs.
In 1938,the year İnönü became the President, the numerical situation of primary education was as follows:
|
No. of Primary Schools
|
No. of Teachers
|
No. of Students
|
||||||
|
Village
|
City
|
Total
|
Village
|
City
|
Total
|
Village
|
City
|
Total
|
|
6485
|
1377
|
7862
|
8697
|
8423
|
17.120
|
446.962
|
366 674
|
813 636
|
In the First National Education Council which met on July 17-27,1939. the village education system was discussed. The duration of village primary schools was increased from 3 years to 5 years. From the year 1939 onwards, important laws were enacted for the popularisation of primary education:
Law no 3704 on The Administration of Village Teacher Training Courses and Village Teacher Schools (1939)
Law no.3803 on The Village Institutes (April 17, 1940)
Law no.4274 on The Organisation of Village Schools and Institutes(1942)
Law no.4459 on The Organisation of Village Midwives and Health Officers./1943)
Regulations of Higher Village Institutes (1942-1943),
The purpose of these laws and regulations was to enliven the villages with their own members, to enable the villagers to partake in the village administration and thus provide the total development of the country. It was necessary to build schools for 2-3 thousand villages per year and train that many teachers. According to the plan devised, there would be no villages without schools and no schools without teachers by the 1955-56 school year. This would be achieved via the Village Institute System which was founded during the tedium of WW1.
Whenever he found the occasion, İnönü talked about the importance of primary education, the steps that were taken and those that should be taken. On November1, 1941, in his opening speech in theTGNA he said “It has always been in our thoughts to enable the new generation to be knowledgeable, powerful and outstanding in every area, starting with the farthest village. ”
The election declaration published on February 23, 1943, states: “We want the organisation that makes primary education available to all men and women in the farthest away villages, to encompass the whole country.”
On May 19,1944, In the speech he gave at the stadium in Ankara, İnönü addressed the people as follows:
Primary education has never before been tackled in the dimension of the present. The primary education ideal, which we have been following since the first day of the republic, is on the way to a real and complete success. Starting with this year, the preparations have been completed. The machine has been set up, we are at the harvesting stage. Girls and boys in all villages, near or far, big or small, concentrated or scattered, will fill the classrooms and face their very valuable teachers. At last, we can see clearly and definitely that the primary education problem in Turkey will be solved within a period of ten years.”
İnönü made long radio speeches specifically related to primary education; something that had not been done before by any president in Turkey. In these speeches he gave detailed information like a specialist. He believed that primary education should not just be confined to the realm of theMinistry of Education. He said: “All those who are responsible should consider primary education among natural conditions that are necessary for life as a human being just like water and air.” (3). He visited the village institutes, which would have the leading role in the realisation of primary education, on the anniversaries of their foundation which were celebrated like a festival. On April 17,1944, when he went to Hasanoğlan (a village institute) he took with him, theTurkish Parliamentary Speaker, the Assistant Group Leader of CHP, some Members of Parliament, the Governor of Ankara and the General Director of Primary Education. This demonstrated not only the great importance he attributed to village institutes but also his belief that primary education is the concern of the whole state.
Another issue that he considered to be of great importance was the problem of attendance in schools. He believed that an important segment of the expenses would come to nothing if attendance was not provided. He accepted no excuses for abscence. He asked all administrators to find solutions to this problem.
In the speeches he gave,İnönü also emphasized the importance of building schools. In his speech of April 17, 1945, he said:”My fellow citizens in the villages have understood, just like me, that primary education is the precondition for the development of villages. In many places, my fellow citizens in the villages have put forth all their assets to overcome the strait conditions and have worked in the building of schools.”(4)
Another important development in the area of primary education, during İnönü’s Presidency, was to make education compulsory until the age of 16 in the village and area schools which were taught by teachers who finished village institutes. This aim began to be realized when vocational assistance courses were made compulsory until the age of16 for those who finished the 5-year-primary school. The 8-year-compulsory education which was only realized throughout the country in 1997, had already begun in the areas where those schools were opened.
During İnönü’s Presidency, in order to ameliorate the working conditions of primary school teachers the following funds were established: in 1941, Village Teachers Retirement Fund; in 1943, Primary School Teachers Health and Social Assistance Fund (İLKSAN) and Primary School Teachers Building Fund.
As a result of İnönü’s intensive interest as President in the primary education situation, and the fact that the staff of the Ministry of Education and the General Directorate of Pimary Education took the situation seriously, the program was put into practice completely until the 1946 elections. After the elections, due to the change in the political atmosphere, Hasan Ali Yücel and İsmail Hakkı Tonguç were relieved of their duty. During that period there was an extensive slowdown in the building of schools and the training of teachers. However, the system built previously would continue to be effective for years to come.
It is possible to better understand the progress in primary education during İnönü’s Presidency by observing the statistics related to the years in the beginning and the end of the period:
| School Years | No. of Schools | No. of Teachers | No. of Students |
| 1937 – 1938 | 6700 | 15775 | 764691 |
| 1949 – 1950 | 16978 | 34822 | 1576127 |
| Increase Rate of the Period (%) | 154 | 120 | 109 |
| Approximate Annual Increase (%) | 13 | 10 | 8.8 |
The first half of İnönü’s 12-year- Presidency were spent in the hardships of WW2, and the second half involved the difficulties of installing the multi party political life. Despite these conditions, great succes was achieved in the area of primary education.
It is possible to better evaluate the achievements in primary education when İnönü’s Presidency period is compared with the next twelve years that passed in better conditions:
| School Years | No. of Schools | No. of Teachers | No. of Students |
| 1949 – 1950 | 16978 | 34822 | 1576127 |
| 1961 – 1962 | 25677 | 46895 | 3147146 |
| Increase Rate of the Period (%) | 51 | 35 | 100 |
| Approximate Annual Increase (%) | 4.25 | 2.9 | 8.3 |
As can be seen above,the building of schools dropped from 154% to 51%, the increase in the number of teachers dropped from 120% to 35%.
As long as İnönü took office in the state and had authority,he handled the primary education problem as a great cause of the country, and just as in the solution of other problems, in the solutution of this problem also, he carried the following belief:
“No matter how ardous and demanding, the solution to a national problem is never too ambiguous to go beyond the boundary of national consciousness and not too steep for the nation to climb and reach the top.” (5)
Note: The number of students, teachers and schools during the period of İnönü’s Presidency are as follows:
| School Year | No. of Students | No. of Teachers | No. of Schools |
|
1937-1938
|
764691
|
15775
|
6700
|
|
1938-1939
|
813636
|
17120
|
7862
|
|
1939-1940
|
905139
|
19063
|
9418
|
|
1940-1941
|
955957
|
20564
|
10596
|
|
1941-1942
|
939829
|
22042
|
10948
|
|
1942-1943
|
940411
|
21613
|
11404
|
|
1943-1944
|
995999
|
22387
|
12182
|
|
1944-1945
|
1246818
|
25687
|
12903
|
|
1945-1946
|
1357740
|
27317
|
14010
|
|
1946-1947
|
1413983
|
30206
|
15131
|
|
1947-1948
|
1448093
|
32081
|
15925
|
|
1948-1949
|
1468382
|
33185
|
16119
|
|
1949-1950
|
1591039
|
34825
|
17106
|
|
1950-1951
|
1616626
|
35871
|
17428
|
Source: Prime Ministry State Institute Of Statistics, National Education Movements 1927-1966, Ankara, 1967, pp.13-16.
*M. Aydoğan: Chairman of the Foundation of Village Institutes and Contemporary Training
**M. Gazalcı: Chairman of the Educators Association.
References
1.Engin Tonguç, Bir Eğitim Devrimcisi: I. Hakkı Tonguç, Cilt 2, s:237-38
2.TBMM 2. Dönem Yasama Yılı Açış Konuşmaları, 1 Kasım 1944, İsmet İnönü’nün TBMM’deki Açış Konuşmaları 1920-1973, TBMM Yayınları, Ankara, 1993, s.41
3 .From his article in Ulus Newspaper, August7, 1944.
4.From his article in Ulus Newspaper, April 18, 1945.
5.Birinci Maarif Şurası, Milli Eğitim Yayınları, İstanbul, 1991, s. 19
