An Archive Document on Samsun Middle School

Abstract

As a result of the reforms made in the Ottoman bureaucratic system after the Tanzimat, the process of radical transformation of the education system also began. This process was also put on a legal basis with the laws and instructions issued in the second half of the century, and efforts were made to implement it in a way that would permeate almost every part of the empire. It can be seen from archival documents that educational institutions such as Rüşdiye, İdadi and Sultani were opened in cities with large population densities, as well as in sparsely populated settlements. Sometimes the schools were built as an independent structure, while other times they used another public building or a rented mansion. Educational institutions both lack qualified physical spaces and are in dire need of qualified teachers and staff. In the first years of the Republic, it can be said that a serious effort was made to overcome these problems. The education system is changing with the enactment of laws, and many schools are being built in response to the need for physical space. On the other hand, the educational structures inherited from the Empire continued to function. In this context, the Ministry of Education prepared a file, which can also be called a questionnaire, to learn about the current situation of educational structures. In addition, visuals and plan drawings were requested in the attachment of the file. Samsun Middle School is among the buildings for which detailed information was requested. Within the scope of the study, the question-answer file prepared for the Samsun Middle School will be examined in detail and the architectural organization of the building will be discussed with the plan diagram and photograph prepared in 1928.